Unlike the traditional tourism, eco-tourism helps raise the awareness of environment protection among tourists and residents in relevant areas and improve the locals’ livelihood and give impetus to the development of regional economy through tourist income while preserving and using wildlife resources and ecological sights as they are.

According to Hwang Chang Gon, director of the High-Tech Exchange Centre of the State Academy of Sciences, eco-tourism which appeared in the mid-1980s takes an important part in the tourist industry which emerged as a powerful service industry leading the global economy and the income from the eco-tourist industry accounts for about 20 percent of the total income of global tourism. Eco-tourism which is developing at a fast pace is estimated to reach the mainstream of worldwide tourist service trade in the near future.

With the global or regional character, eco-tourism is now conducted more briskly.

Many countries established such special organizations as the eco-tourist association and promote eco-tourism covering biosphere reserves, primeval forests and national parks.

Korea which is mountainous and bounded on three sides by the sea has favourable conditions and possibility for the development of eco-tourism. The areas of Mts Paektu, Kumgang, Myohyang, Kuwol and Chilbo, the celebrated mountains of Korea, have already been registered as the world biosphere reserves and the country has many places with abundant biodiversity including the Ogasan nature reserve and the Mundok migratory bird reserve.

Mt Paektu, which is called the ancestral mountain in Korea, has Lake Chon, a huge crater lake, a vast stretch of forests, Lake Samji, waterfalls whose water flows down from Lake Chon, alpine flower fields, unique ecosystem in the boundary line of forests and other scenic beauties that can only be seen there.

Mts Kumgang and Myohyang are widely known as the celebrated mountains of the world. Mt Myohyang in the northwestern part of the country is a rare place of natural beauty in terms of its superb scenery and density, and richness or diversity of sightseeing contents.

The Ogasan nature reserve in the northern part of Korea covers an area of over 6 500 hectares and unfolds a spectacular natural sight as it is located in the boundary of temperate and boreal plant distribution areas. There are various living monuments and some 800 hectares of area where primeval forests are concentrated have been registered as a living monument, named the Ogasan primeval forest. Besides, over a 1 100-year-old yew, 700-odd-year-old linden, more than 400-year-old fir and nut-pine and other trees are in good preservation as living monuments.