AI Era: What Is the Future of Mountain Villages?... Joint Academic Seminar by the Korean Society for Forest Administration and the Korean Association for Public Administration

The 2025 Spring Academic Seminar, jointly hosted by the Korean Society for Forest Administration and the Korean Association for Public Administration, was held on May 16 at the Humanities and Social Sciences Building of Pukyong National University.

This seminar, held under the theme "Designing the Future of Mountain Villages in the AI Era: Innovation in Sustainable Forest Management," was organized by the Korean Society for Forest Administration and the Public Policy Research Institute of Pukyong National University. The event featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and breakout presentations, with the participation of the Korea Forest Service, public forest institutions, and academic experts.

The keynote address was delivered by Lee Mira, Deputy Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, and Jang Taepyeong, Chair of the Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Policy, attended to offer congratulatory remarks.

The seminar began with a roundtable discussion on "A New Paradigm for Future Mountain Village Communities in the 21st Century Digital Era." This was followed by five breakout sessions on the following topics: policies and cultural directions for mountain villages in the AI era; economic outlook and securing financial resources for mountain villages; forest healing, welfare, and new plant governance; digital mountain village models and the garden industry; and integrated management systems for green resources across the nation.

Heo Yonghun, President of the Korean Society for Forest Administration (Emeritus Professor at Pukyong National University), stated in his opening remarks, "Mountain villages have been our living spaces for generations, but now face crises due to climate change, population decline, and aging. We must turn these crises into opportunities through AI and digital innovation, and work together to open a new future for mountain villages."

The two academic societies plan to continue their joint efforts to seek practical alternatives and a future vision for forest policy, building on the momentum of this seminar.

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