Korea Forest Service Invests 149.3 Billion KRW in R&D for Climate Change Crisis Response, a Record High

Provided by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Forest Service is investing a record-high budget of 149.3 billion KRW in research and development (R&D) projects to respond to the climate change crisis.

On the 23rd, the Korea Forest Service announced that it secured a budget of 149.3 billion KRW for forest and forestry R&D projects next year. This represents a 15.8% increase compared to this year and marks the largest budget increase since the agency's establishment.

The four main strategies for next year's forest and forestry R&D projects are ▲ sustainable forest management in the era of crisis due to climate change ▲ introduction of digital and non-face-to-face technologies in the forestry sector ▲ revitalization of the forest industry ▲ establishment of an income safety net for forestry workers.

New R&D projects include eight initiatives such as ▲ smart forest management innovation growth technology development ▲ smart healthcare technology development and dissemination based on agriculture, forestry, and marine resources ▲ problem-solving R&D for disasters and accidents in the forestry sector.

First, the Korea Forest Service allocated a budget of 3.8 billion KRW for the ‘Problem-solving R&D for disasters and accidents in the forestry sector’ project, which aims to prevent forest fires, landslides, and forest pests caused by climate change and forest ecosystem destruction, and to establish a rapid response and recovery system in case of disasters and accidents.

Recently, South Korea has seen increasing damage caused by abnormal weather and forest ecosystem destruction, such as large-scale forest fires, sudden floods, and outbreaks of caterpillars like the fall webworm.

In response, the Korea Forest Service plans to establish a scientific response system through ICT-based early prediction of disaster and accident factors, aiming to protect citizens' lives and property and minimize social costs.

Additionally, the agency plans to launch five key new projects with a total budget of 24 billion KRW, including facilities for forest organisms' response to climate change and utilization of unused forest biomass.

The ‘Smart Forest Management Innovation Growth Technology Development’ project will receive a budget of 5.6 billion KRW. This project aims to modernize the outdated traditional forestry by automating labor-intensive forest operations such as logging, forest tending, and afforestation, and to establish a system optimized for the distribution and consumption of forest products to increase forestry household income.

Moreover, by integrating fourth industrial technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and drones into traditional forestry technologies, the project plans to develop ICT-based smart nurseries, wearable robotic equipment for mountainous areas, and AI-based forest product supply and price prediction systems to invigorate the forest industry and establish an income safety net for forestry workers.

In the biohealth sector, the ‘Smart Healthcare Technology Development Based on Agriculture, Forestry, and Marine Resources’ project has been allocated 5.3 billion KRW. This project focuses on developing forest healing substances, verifying their efficacy, and establishing a big data sharing and utilization system to link and expand health and medical care services centered on disease prevention in the era of healthy longevity.

The Korea Forest Service plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Rural Development Administration on this project, with the ultimate goal of reducing medical expenses by linking it to future health management incentive systems.

Meanwhile, the government budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly is expected to be finalized and amended in December through preliminary review by standing committees, main review by the Budget and Accounts Committee, and plenary session approval during the regular session.

Imira, Director of the Forest Industry Policy Bureau at the Korea Forest Service, said, “Amid the difficult domestic economic conditions caused by the spread of infectious diseases, we aim to seek new breakthroughs by expanding investment in forest and forestry R&D. The Korea Forest Service will strive to ensure that R&D in the forest and forestry sector is tangible and beneficial to forestry workers and the public.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.