Wildlife of South Korea
The wildlife of South Korea comprises many animals, fungi and plants. Wildlife refers to animal and plant species that live in the wild or natural state such as mountains or rivers. According to the South Korean Ministry of Environment, the rich diversity of South Korea's wildlife includes 8,271 species of plants, 18,117 species of animals and 3,528 species of others. 30,000 species are known to exist in South Korea, but it is expected that there are more than 100,000 species. Animalia. South Korea is surrounded by water on three sides. The southern sea (South Sea  (Korea)) and the western sea of South Korea (Yellow Sea) have irregular coastlines. South Korea runs from north to south and it has complex terrain. Therefore, South Korea has various climate zones and high precipitation, and this condition leads to a diversity of wildlife. In South Korea, there are 18,117 species of animals. It contains 1,528 species of vertebrate, 13,025 species of insect and 3,564 species of other invertebrates. Endangered wildlife. Article 2 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act discusses endangered wild animals in South Korea. There are 246 endangered animals in South Korea, with numerous species in need  of urgent conservation measures. Endangered wild animals in South Korea include: Harmful wild animals. Harmful wild animals are wild animals which damage property or endanger people. For example, harmful wild animals in South Korea include Flora. In South Korea, there are 8,271 species of plants. It contains 4,662 species of higher plants and 3,609 species of lower plants. Wild plants in South Korea include Korean native species such as "Pentactina". Despite the biodiversity, ecosystems in South Korea are unstable because of land development. 67 km of forest disappear each year. This means that 0.1% of total South Korean forests are  disappearing each year. Distribution of plants. Korea can be divided largely into three biozones by distribution of plants. The groups are warm-temperate forest, temperate forest and subalpine forest. Considering regional character of Ulleungdo and Jejudo, Korea can divide into five regions. Evergreen broad-leaved trees grow in warm-temperate forest. Warm-temperate forest in Korea includes the southern coastal region, Jeju Island and several islands of the southern sea which are under 35°N. Some of the species here include "Quercus myrsinaefolia", "Quercus acuta", "Quercus salicina", "Daphniphyllum macropodum", "Castanopsis cuspidata", "Ligustrum foliosum nakai", "Machilus thunbergii". South Korea is  dominated by temperate forest which takes 85% of its territory. Land between Korean Demilitarized Zone and the northern part of 35°N belongs to this. Common species in temperate forest are "Carpinus laxiflora", "Carpinus tschonoskii" Maxim, "Quercus mongolica". A subalpine forest exists in the Kaema Plateau in North Korea or south-central's higher mountains. "Picea jezoensis", "Pinus pumila", "Abies nephrolepis", "Larix gmelinii" and "Abies holophylla" can be found there. Warm-temperate forest. Ulleungdo : A sort of trees which reseed with Mt. Seonginbong as a center based on approximately 600 m altitude. Altitudes below 600 m have wild plants  in the Southern province that are magnolia, "Euonymus japonicus", "Camellia japonica", "Hedera rhombea", "Ardisia japonica", "Vitex rotundifolia" and others. An altitude of 600 m or above has "Fagus crenata" and "Sorbus commixta". Jejudo can be divided into coast vegetation and mountain vegetation. Coast vegetation consists of "Sinomenium acutum", "Machilus thunbergii", "Daphniphyllum macropodum", "Camellia japonica", "Vitex rotundifolia", "Centella asiatica". "Reynoutria elliptica", "Hydrangea serrata", "Eleutherococcus senticosus", "Aconitum napiforme", "Schisandra repanda" and others. Temperate forest. The southern part of temperate forest is contained in a region 37°N at the west coast, 38°N at the east coast and inner land 's temperate forest that is a southern part of 36.5°. There are common bamboo, "Acer palmatum", "Carpinus laxiflora" and others. In Jirisan mountain, there are "Hemerocallis fulva", "Picea jezoensis, Cornus officinalis", "Rhododendron mucronulatum", "Abies koreana", "Eleutherococcus senticosus", "Aconitum chiisanense", "Angelica gigas" and others. In Mt. Deogyusan, there are "Aconitum uchiyamai", "Sorbus commixta", "Acanthopanax sessiliflorus", "Cimicifuga simplex" and others. In the coast district, there are "Camellia japonica", "Euonymus japonicus", "Daphniphyllum macropodum", "Camellia sinensis" and others. The central part of temperate forest contains 39°N at the west coast, 40°N at the east coast and inner land's  temperate forest that include between a southern part of 38° boundary line (38th parallel north) and Northern Limit Line of south temperate forest. There are "Quercus dentatomongolica", "Acer pictum" subsp. "mono", "Betula costata", "Zanthoxylum planispinum" and others. In Seoraksan Mountain, there are "Hemerocallis dumortieri", "Ampelopsis brevipedunculata", "Rhododendron brachycarpum", "Rhododendron fauriae" and others. In Odaesan Mountain, there are "Astilbe chinensis", "Berberis koreana", lily of the valley and others. In Chiaksan Mountain, there are "Codonopsis lanceolata", "Lactuca indica", "Hieracium umbellatum", "Aconitum" and others. In Mt.Taebaeksan, there are "Juniperus chinensis"," Taxus cuspidata", "Juniperus rigida", "Pinus densiflora", "Viola diamantica" Nakai, "Trientalis europaea , Arisaema erubescens" and others. In Cheonmasan Mountain, there are "Juniperus chinensis", "Taxus cuspidata", "Juniperus rigida", "Draba nemorosa" L., "Eranthis stellata" Maxim, "Hepatica asiatica" Nakai, "Adonis amurensis", "Heloniopsis koreana" and others. In Mt.Sobaeksan, there are "Iris rossii", "Hylomecon" and others. In Woraksan Mountain, there are "Actinidia arguta", "Thymus quinquecostatus", "Rubus coreanus" and others. In Mt.Songnisan, there are "Leonurus japonicus", "Angelica gigas" and others. In Juwangsan mountain, there are "Staphylea pinnata", "Jeffersonia", "Fraxinus rhynchophylla", "Rhododendron schlippenbachii" and others. In the islands of the west coast, there are "Machilus thunbergii", "Camellia japonica", "Epimedium koreanum", "Scopolia japonica", "Berberis koreana", "Valeriana fauriei", "Cornus  officinalis", "Schisandra chinensis" and others. The northern part of the temperate forest is in between a north limit of central temperate forest and boundary line(38th parallel north). There are "Betula platyphylla", "Pinus koraiensis", "Acer komarovii", "Ligularia fischeri", "Rhododendron aureum", "Epimedium koreanum", rhubarb, "Viola mandshurica", "Lithospermum erythrorhizon" and others. Subalpine forest. In South Korea, boreal forest doesn't exist in the lowlands. However, subalpine coniferous forest is found in highland or mountainous district in South Korea. Part of Hallasan, part of Seoraksan, fir forest of Jirisan and Gotjawal Forest in Jejudo are the subalpine forests in South Korea. At an altitude  of 1200 m–1500 m in Hallasan Mountain, there is a coniferous forest which consists of pine, juniper, a Korean fir. Fruticeta is formed in 1500 m–1700 m and the alpine zone spread out above 1850 m. South-facing slopes have more mild weather than north-facing slopes. Therefore, its height extends a little more on the south side. Endangered wild plants. Endangered wild plants are divided into first grade and second grade. "First grade endangered wild plants" refers to species of plant in which the number is significantly reduced by natural causes or artificial factors. The species are selected by  the minister of environment after a prior consultation with the minister of central administration organization. First grade endangered wild plants refer to the following species: "Second grade endangered wild plants" are species of plant in which the number is significantly reduced by natural causes or artificial factors. These plants have the possibility of becoming extinct in the foreseeable future. The species are selected by the Minister of Environment: Wildlife in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Is the unmanned strip of land that exists between North Korea and South Korea. The DMZ has been a representation of the  two nation's tension for over 50 years and it is a contributing factor of the events that led to The Korean War in 1950. During the Armistice between the two nations the ecosystem of the area has reverted to its natural state due to the lack of human interference; The DMZ and Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) in South Korea encompass many rivers and an abundant amount of diverse ecosystems along with substantial amounts of plant, mammal, fish and bird species, many of which are globally endangered. Over 5,000 species of plants and animals have been identified as living in  The DMZ, including a significant amount which are considered protected on the endangered species list. These endangered species living in The DMZ include: Siberian musk deer, white-naped crane, red-crowned crane, Asiatic black bear, cinereous vulture and the long-tailed goral. Controversies. The Han river ecosystem is endangered because the water flow changed due to water blocking construction at Ilsan Bridge. Deposition of materials in the river caused environmental damage. The Korean Association for the Protection of Wild Birds claimed to remove the structure, which possibly destroyed the natural ecology and caused the bank to overflow. In the media . The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office set up an unmanned camera and successfully captured images of the wildlife. In the video, wild animals are seen moving around the alpine wetland and displayed various actions such as hunting and marking their territories. Martens that were observed at this time were selected as endangered animals and they were apex predator in South Korea. The video has great importance to scientific research as it is the first to document the wildlife in real time. In addition, it offers scientists and government officials the opportunity to reconsider the preservation of the alpine climate. Wildlife