National Park System, South Korea

In 1967, South Korea established the Chirisan National Park as the first national park in the country. It remains the largest national park in South Korea. The Tadohae National Park covers an area of 2,200 km², but the majority of the park is covered by water; thus, it is a marine national park. The Wolchulsan National Park is the smallest national park in South Korea and has an area of only 56 km². Except for Hallasan National Park and Gyeongju National Park, the national parks are under the direct management of the Korea National Park Service, which was established in 1987 and was initially part of the Ministry of Construction. It was transferred to the Ministry of Environment in 1998. South Korea currently has 20 national parks covering 6.6% of the country. Most are located in mountainous areas and coastal areas, and four of them contain sea areas.