Change and Development Plan of Mountain Village in North Jeolla Province, South Korea: Results Comparison Based on 1ST and 2nd Survey of Mountain Village

Mountain villages in South Korea display social, cultural, and economic severe environments due to unfavorable geographical conditions. However, mountain village development and promotion projects have been implemented by the Korean government since 1995, because these villages have played important roles, such as safe land conservation, balanced land development, and preserving existing forests and traditions in Korea. Mountain village development projects were considered insufficient according to the long term development plan, while top down government led business promotion, insufficient mountain village special development, and facilities' operation deficit and mismanagement after the completion of the project were deemed as problems. Moreover, expansion of the mountain village promotion fund, actively engaging local residents, and expanded use of forest products to increase income were proposed as tasks. As a result, Korea conducted a survey on mountain villages in 2003 and in 2014 in order to secure the basic data for the effective promotion of these villages based on the planned promotion policy. The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze studies on the changes and characteristics of mountain villages and find ways for promoting these villages in the North Jeolla province. Return migration and multicultural settlement increased in the mountain villages of North Jeolla, and considered as a new source of labor, but forest ownership scale and management land size were poor economic conditions. Therefore, it needed to heal the mind and body utilizing abundant forest resources in mountain villages, as to derive leisure activities for citizens, seek utilization of various products (wild herbs, nuts, mushrooms) directly harvested from forests. In addition, it needed to improve the living environment in areas such as education, healthcare, and welfare facilities through the expansion of government support, and, finally, expand local businesses. Additionally, local systematic forest management for IV-V grade timber would improve public interest and also be a very important resource for the future promotion of mountain villages in North Jeolla.