South Korea protects 5,864 terrestrial and marine species across its 100,413 square kilometer territory, according to the National Institute of Biological Resources 2022 census. The Ministry of Environment designates 267 species as endangered or threatened under the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, updated most recently in January 2023. Protection infrastructure includes 22 national parks covering 6,726 square kilometers, 1,270 wetland protection zones, and the 907 square kilometer Joint Security Area and Civilian Control Zone portions of the Demilitarized Zone, which functions as an unintended wildlife corridor despite military restrictions on access.
The Asiatic black bear population in Jirisan National Park numbers approximately 82 individuals as of December 2023, according to the Korea National Park Service annual survey using camera traps and GPS collar data. The species was declared locally extinct in South Korea in 1980. Reintroduction began in 2004 when the Korean government relocated 5 bears from China and Russia to the 483 square kilometer Jirisan reserve in South Jeolla Province. The population grew to 17 bears by 2010 and reached 82 through managed breeding and additional releases from a captive breeding facility operated by the National Park Service in Gurye. Bears remain confined to Jirisan, with occasional sightings in the adjacent Deoksan area representing dispersal rather than established populations. The government allocated 42 billion won between 2004 and 2023 for this program.
Korean goral numbers stand at approximately 850 individuals distributed across four mountain systems, per the 2023 Korean Goral Conservation Action Plan published by the Ministry of Environment. This ungulate, endemic to the Korean Peninsula and adjacent portions of northeast China, inhabits steep rocky terrain in Seoraksan, Odaesan, Chiaksan, and Woraksan national parks. The Seoraksan population comprises 420 individuals, making it the largest concentration. Goral were hunted intensively during the Korean War, reducing populations to approximately 200 animals by 1960. Legal protection established in 1962 prohibited hunting, while the 1973 designation of Seoraksan as a national park created secure habitat. The species remains classified as endangered, with primary threats including habitat fragmentation from road construction and small population genetics. The National Institute of Ecology initiated a genetic rescue program in 2019, conducting health assessments and establishing a genome database from 127 sampled individuals.
The Korean water deer occupies wetlands and agricultural edges throughout South Korea, with population estimates ranging from 480,000 to 650,000 based on the 2021 National Ecosystem Survey conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Research. This species occurs nowhere else on earth except for a small population in China's Jiangsu and Anhui provinces and introduced populations in England and France. Males lack antlers, instead possessing elongated canine teeth up to 6 centimeters long. The species adapts readily to agricultural landscapes, feeding on rice, soybeans, and winter wheat, which generates conflict with farmers in Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces. The Ministry of Environment permits controlled culling in designated areas where crop damage exceeds 30 percent of field surveys, with 45,200 animals removed in 2022 under damage prevention permits. Despite this management, populations continue expanding, with density in optimal wetland habitat reaching 78 individuals per square kilometer according to 2020 surveys in Upo Wetland.
Red-crowned cranes winter in South Korea's southern coastal wetlands, with the Cheorwon area near the Demilitarized Zone hosting between 950 and 1,100 individuals each winter from November through March, according to the National Institute of Biological Resources crane census conducted annually since 1999. This represents approximately 30 percent of the global population of this critically endangered species, which numbers roughly 3,000 individuals worldwide. The cranes breed in northeastern China, far eastern Russia, and a small resident population in Hokkaido, Japan. Cheorwon's importance derives from rice stubble left unharvested across 12,400 hectares of military-controlled farmland within the Civilian Control Zone, providing waste grain through winter. The Ministry of Environment pays farmers 3.2 million won per hectare to delay spring plowing until crane departure in late March, a program initiated in 2006 and covering 4,800 hectares as of 2023. Cheorwon winter maximum counts peaked at 1,340 cranes in 2019 before declining to current levels, likely reflecting broader population dynamics across the species' range rather than local factors.
Black-faced spoonbills nest on small offshore islands along South Korea's western coast, with 20 documented nesting sites supporting 146 breeding pairs in 2023, according to Hong Kong Bird Watching Society's coordinated range-wide census. The global population numbers approximately 6,162 individuals, making South Korea's breeding concentration particularly significant. Nesting occurs on uninhabited islands less than 5 hectares in size, primarily in the archipelagos of Dadohaehaesang National Park and near Incheon. The species was considered critically endangered with only 288 individuals counted in 1988 across its entire range, which includes wintering grounds in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Japan. South Korea designated all nesting islands as wildlife protection areas between 1999 and 2008, prohibiting human access from March through July during breeding season. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries installed artificial nesting platforms on 14 islands starting in 2011 after monitoring showed limited natural nesting substrate. Breeding success varies substantially by site and year, ranging from 0.6 to 1.8 fledglings per nest, with predation by large gulls identified as the primary cause of nest failure in studies conducted on Chilsando Island between 2015 and 2019.
The Korean Peninsula salamander exists only in mountain streams above 400 meters elevation in South Korea's central and northern mountain ranges, according to molecular phylogenetic research published in 2018 in the journal Molecules and Cells identifying it as distinct from related Chinese species. Population estimates remain imprecise due to the species' cryptic behavior and nocturnal activity patterns, but surveys conducted between 2017 and 2021 in Seoraksan, Odaesan, and Jirisan national parks documented presence at 67 of 142 surveyed stream reaches. The salamander requires cold, highly oxygenated water with temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius during summer months, restricting it to streams with year-round flow from snowmelt and groundwater sources. Climate modeling published in 2020 by the National Institute of Ecology projected a 43 percent reduction in suitable habitat by 2070 under moderate warming scenarios, concentrating remaining populations at elevations above 800 meters. The species faces additional pressure from stream modification for hiking trail crossings and water extraction, documented at 23 locations within its range during a 2019 infrastructure impact survey.
Long-tailed goral, distinct from the Korean goral described earlier, occupies a small range in the Taebaek Mountains along South Korea's northeastern coast, with the total population estimated at fewer than 250 individuals based on surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021 by the Korea National Park Service. This subspecies was identified through genetic analysis in 2011, revealing significant differentiation from Korean goral populations in central mountains. The primary population centers on a 40 square kilometer area of steep limestone terrain in the southern portion of Seoraksan National Park, with smaller groups documented in adjacent Odaesan National Park. Population decline results from limited gene flow between fragmented subpopulations separated by valleys converted to agricultural use and road corridors. The Ministry of Environment designated the subspecies as critically endangered in 2012 and initiated a captive breeding program at the Korea National Park Research Institute facility in Namyangju, where 14 individuals were held as of 2023. The program has produced 6 offspring since 2016, though none have been released to the wild pending habitat connectivity improvements.
Yellow-billed storks, glossy ibises, and Eurasian spoonbills concentrate at Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve during spring and autumn migration, with peak counts reaching 12,400 individuals of combined species in November 2022 according to the Suncheon City migratory bird monitoring program established in 2006. The 39.8 square kilometer reserve encompasses tidal mudflats, reed beds dominated by Phragmites australis, and managed wetlands created by diking former salt production areas. The mudflats support populations of ghost crabs, fiddler crabs, and mudskippers that provide food resources for migrating shorebirds. Suncheon City prohibited shellfish harvesting across 22 square kilometers of tidal flat in 2003, extended hunting prohibitions established in 1989 to the entire reserve in 2007, and removed 14 kilometers of access roads between 2008 and 2012 to reduce disturbance. The reserve achieved Ramsar Wetland designation in 2006 and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status in 2018. Winter counts of hooded cranes peaked at 860 individuals in the 2019-2020 season, representing a substantial increase from 120 individuals counted during the first systematic survey in 1996.
Mountain hares inhabit alpine zones above 1,400 meters elevation on Hallasan, Jirisan, and Seoraksan, with genetic studies published in 2017 in the journal Conservation Genetics confirming these populations as the subspecies Lepus timidus coreanus, endemic to the Korean Peninsula. Population surveys remain incomplete due to difficult terrain and the species' cryptic coloration, but camera trap arrays installed by Seoul National University researchers between 2018 and 2021 documented presence at 34 of 78 camera locations in Hallasan National Park's alpine zone above 1,600 meters. The hares undergo seasonal pelage changes, turning white in winter, though this molt occurs later and less completely than in continental populations, reflecting South Korea's relatively mild coastal climate. Climate envelope modeling suggests alpine habitat suitable for this species will contract by 67 percent by 2080 under high emissions scenarios, potentially extirpating populations on all peaks except Hallasan. The Korean National Park Service initiated a genetic sampling program in 2020, collecting tissue samples from 23 individuals to establish a genetic baseline for future monitoring.
Narrow-mouthed toads, classified as Kaloula borealis in 2012 after taxonomic revision separated Korean populations from Chinese congeners, occur in wetlands and rice paddies below 200 meters elevation in South Korea's southern provinces. The National Institute of Biological Resources 2021 amphibian survey documented presence at 340 sites in South Jeolla, North Jeolla, and South Gyeongsang provinces, representing a 23 percent decline from 442 sites recorded in a comparable 2009 survey. The species depends on temporary pools created by monsoon rains between June and August for breeding, with males producing distinctive sheep-like bleating calls. Rice paddy conversion to greenhouse agriculture removed 18,400 hectares of breeding habitat in the species' range between 2010 and 2020, according to land use analysis by the Rural Development Administration. The species was classified as vulnerable in 2012 by the Ministry of Environment. Captive breeding at the National Institute of Ecology began in 2019, successfully producing 1,240 metamorphs from 12 breeding adults, though release protocols remain under development pending habitat restoration site identification.
Korean field mice, genetically distinct from related Japanese and northeastern Chinese populations according to 2015 mitochondrial DNA analysis published in Zoological Science, occupy grasslands, agricultural edges, and early successional forests throughout South Korea. Population density estimates vary substantially by habitat type, ranging from 8 individuals per hectare in mature forest to 340 per hectare in rice paddy edge habitat based on mark-recapture studies conducted in Chungcheongnam-do between 2016 and 2019. The species serves as primary prey for Korean polecats, yellow-throated martens, and various raptor species. Populations fluctuate cyclically with periodicity of 3 to 4 years, though amplitude of these cycles has decreased in agricultural landscapes compared to historical records from the 1970s, likely reflecting reduced resource variability in intensively managed cropland. The species carries Hantaan virus, which causes Korean hemorrhagic fever in humans, with seroprevalence in mouse populations ranging from 6 to 14 percent based on sampling of 2,847 individuals across 47 locations conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency between 2018 and 2021.
Leopard cats maintain populations across South Korea excluding the southernmost portions of Jeolla provinces, with density highest in the Demilitarized Zone where camera trap surveys between 2018 and 2020 recorded 2.8 independent detections per 100 trap nights, compared to 0.3 to 0.9 detections in civilian areas of Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces. The subspecies Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, endemic to Northeast Asia, was confirmed through genetic analysis published in 2006. Vehicle strikes represent the primary documented mortality source, with 178 carcasses recovered from roads in Gangwon Province alone between 2015 and 2022 according to Korea National Park Service wildlife collision monitoring. The cats prey primarily on Korean field mice, voles, and small birds, with diet composition studies from scat analysis showing 76 percent small mammals by occurrence frequency. The Ministry of Environment constructed 34 wildlife crossing structures specifically designed for leopard cats along highways bisecting habitat in Gangwon Province between 2012 and 2021, with camera monitoring showing confirmed use at 28 of these structures. Population trends remain uncertain due to inconsistent monitoring methodology across years and regions.
Yellow sea kraits inhabit rocky intertidal zones and shallow coastal waters around South Korea's southern islands, particularly the archipelagos of Dadohaehaesang National Park. The species reaches its northern range limit in South Korea, with occurrence records concentrated in South Jeolla Province and the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province. Systematic surveys conducted in 2019 and 2020 documented the species at 18 of 67 surveyed islands, representing a range contraction from 31 islands recorded during comparable surveys in 2003 and 2004. The snakes are highly venomous but inoffensive, feeding exclusively on eels and other elongate fish in rocky reef habitats. Decline correlates geographically with areas of intensive coastal modification for aquaculture, with 11 of 13 islands where the species was extirpated having undergone substantial shoreline alteration for fish farming infrastructure between 2000 and 2018. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries classified the species as endangered in 2012 and prohibited collection, but no specific habitat protection measures have been implemented beyond existing marine protected area boundaries that coincide with portions of the species' range.
Korean water shrews, described as the species Chimarrogale platycephalus in 1870 but subject to ongoing taxonomic uncertainty regarding relationships with continental Asian populations, occur in fast-flowing mountain streams across South Korea's eastern mountain ranges. The animals swim and dive while foraging for aquatic insects, with morphological adaptations including fringed toes and water-repellent fur. Population estimates remain unavailable due to methodological challenges in surveying this cryptic species, but presence-absence surveys using environmental DNA detection methods conducted between 2020 and 2022 confirmed the species at 41 of 156 stream reaches in Seoraksan, Odaesan, and Taebaeksan areas. The shrews require streams with boulder and cobble substrate, dense riparian vegetation, and minimal siltation. Stream modification for flood control removed 840 meters of occupied habitat within Chiaksan National Park between 2015 and 2017, prompting the Korean National Park Service to establish design standards requiring maintenance of natural substrate and bank vegetation for all future stream management projects within park boundaries.
Fire-bellied toads, specifically the species Bombina orientalis native to Korea and adjacent portions of China and Russia, occupy shallow wetlands, rice paddies, and stream pools below 800 meters elevation throughout South Korea. The toads secrete skin toxins as defense against predation, and exhibit bright orange and black ventral coloration displayed during predator encounters. Population surveys conducted by the National Institute of Ecology between 2018 and 2021 documented the species at 1,240 wetland sites, representing stable occupancy compared to 1,287 sites recorded in surveys from 2008 to 2011. Breeding occurs from May through August in shallow water bodies, with females depositing eggs individually attached to submerged vegetation. The species shows adaptability to modified landscapes, occupying agricultural water reservoirs, park ponds, and even treated water detention basins, provided aquatic vegetation and shallow margins exist. Chytrid fungus, which has caused amphibian declines globally, was detected in Korean fire-bellied toad populations through PCR testing of skin swabs from 340 individuals collected between 2015 and 2018, with prevalence of 8.2 percent, though no associated mortality events have been documented.