faculty spotlight
K.C. Kim's efforts to preserve Korea's DMZ
May 2005
To say the least, Dr. Ke Chung Kim, professor of entomology, is a very busy man. His activities include directing Penn State’s Center for BioDiversity Research and Frost Entomological Museum, teaching and conducting research, and applying his knowledge of forensic entomology to help solve homicide cases and other litigations. Currently, his most time-consuming and possibly most interesting project, perhaps even his legacy if achieved, is his effort to establish a system of protected areas in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. This endeavor has been his passion for more than a decade.
The DMZ, a precious strip of land about 2.5 miles (4-kilometers) wide and extending 155 miles (250-kilometers) across the width of the Korean Peninsula, has been untouched by man since 1953 when a buffer zone was established between the two Koreas after the Korean War.
Overall, the DMZ comprises only about 5% of the land area of the Korean Peninsula but because of rampant development and exploitation of Korea’s natural resources, the DMZ is one of the few places in North or South Korea that may be home to endangered animals and plants as well as those that have already disappeared elsewhere in the Koreas. Kim, a native of South Korea, says, “The only good thing to come out of the war is the DMZ—it is a natural sanctuary for native plants and animals, which in most of the country are already gone from the land.”
Preservation of the DMZ may be North and South Korea’s last chance to save a remnant of the region’s native biodiversity. No field surveys have been conducted in the core of the DMZ but scientists speculate that the area (the DMZ and the adjacent Civilian Control Zone, a 3-12 mile (5-20 kilometers)-wide buffer around the DMZ) could be home to myriad endangered, threatened, and perhaps yet unknown species. The DMZ is a known wintering ground for several of the world’s most endangered species including the white-naped crane, red-crowned crane, and black-faced spoonbills. “The DMZ is the last major vestige of Korea’s natural heritage,” says Kim. And that is why he is working so diligently to turn it into a system of permanent bioreserves.
Kim initially proposed the project in 1993 while in South Korea as a Fulbright scholar. With the 1994 publishing of the collaborative plan, Biodiversity Korea 2000: a strategy to save, study, and sustainably use Korea’s biotic resources, the DMZ conservation project was officially commenced and over the transpiring years Kim has led the effort in gaining support for the project. A few highlights of his efforts are detailed below:
- In 1997, Kim wrote an Op-Ed “Preserving Biodiversity in Korea’s Demilitarized Zone,” which was published in the journal Science.
- In 1998, as director of Penn State’s Center for BioDiversity, he co-founded the DMZ Forum with the Wildlife Conservation Society (Robert Lee), and The Institute of Public Administration at New York University (Seung Ho Lee). The DMZ Forum is an American organization dedicated to creating a system of bioreserves within the DMZ and Kim serves as chair.
- In 2002, Kim co-wrote an Op-Ed article for the New York Times with Edward O. Wilson, a renowned Harvard biologist and leading advocate of preserving biodiversity, which expounded the urgent need for the DMZ to be turned into a nature preserve.
The editorial in the New York Times was a step in the right direction—it led to the first International Conference on Conservation of Korea’s Demilitarized Zone, held in Seoul, Korea in July of 2004. Kim says that the conference was the first time he and his colleagues had engaged a political process with the governments of North and South Korea. “My goal, initially, is to have the North Korean government and South Korean government say it is a good thing – go ahead, sign the agreement,” says Kim. The main goal of the conference was indeed to get the needed approval from both countries to turn the DMZ into a nature reserve. Both countries are interested but more negotiation is needed to create a solid agreement between the two Koreas.
In line with these efforts, another conference is scheduled for the summer of 2005 to continue the work begun at last year’s conference. The 2005 conference, The Pan-Korean Nature Conservation for Peace and Sustainability that includes the DMZ conservation, will be held in Koyang City on August 16-17. Kim is slated to give the opening remarks and Mr. Ted Turner will talk about creating peace between North and South Korea through nature conservation. Invited speakers, Congressman Curt Weldon, and possibly former President of South Africa, Dr. Nelson Mandela, a patron emeritus of Peace Parks Foundation, are strong supporters of creating a Peace Park in the DMZ. Peace parks, originated in South Africa, are formed to manage natural resources across political boundaries.
According to Kim, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has even suggested designating the DMZ a World Heritage site for Nature Conservation and Peace as a process to preserve the DMZ corridor.
Work on the DMZ has consumed much of Kim’s time, but has progressed more than he expected. He estimates that it may take as long as 20 years before the DMZ system of permanent nature reserves becomes a reality. Although hopeful that it will reach that point, Kim is still very satisfied with the progress of the project so far. “I am delighted that not only news media but a lot of other people, and many countries, are really delighted by the whole idea. I’m proud to have made it that far. I didn’t know where I was going when I started this.”
Written by Student Intern Ruth Gilbert and edited by Patricia Craig.
Photos:
(Photos courtesy of K.C. Kim and George Archibald)
