Antarctica's Inexpressible Island Designated as Second Penguin Village... Ministry of Environment to Actively Promote Protection and Management

Approved as a Specially Protected Area at the Antarctic Meeting

Overview of South Korea's Designated Antarctic Specially Protected Areas

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Antarctica's 'Inexpressible Island' has been approved as a Specially Protected Area. This is the second time that South Korea has led the designation of a protected area, following the 'Narebski Point (also known as Penguin Village)' near the Sejong Station in 2009.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 25th that Inexpressible Island, jointly proposed by South Korea, China, and Italy, was approved as an Antarctic Specially Protected Area at the 43rd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting held online from June 14 to 24 in Paris, France, in cooperation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The Antarctic Meeting is an annual conference attended by 54 member countries of the Antarctic Treaty, which aims for the peaceful use of the Antarctic region.

Inexpressible Island covers an area of 3.31 km², which is 3.4 times larger than Penguin Village (0.98 km²). The number of breeding penguin nests is also 6.4 times greater. It is a habitat for indicator species for environmental change such as Adelie penguins, leopard seals, and Weddell seals. However, with recent increases in tourism and research activities, South Korea, China, and Italy jointly proposed the designation of a protected area for the first time at the 2019 Antarctic Meeting.

The Ross Sea in Antarctica, where Inexpressible Island is located, is the world's largest marine protected area, home to 38% of the world's Adelie penguins and 26% of emperor penguins. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is conducting related research, including monitoring the marine ecosystem of the Ross Sea and the breeding of Adelie penguins, to protect the Antarctic marine ecosystem from global warming and indiscriminate overfishing of marine resources.

The Antarctic Specially Protected Area system is designed to protect the environmental, natural, scientific, or aesthetic values of Antarctica. When consultative parties to the treaty propose the designation of a protected area in a specific region of Antarctica, the Consultative Meeting reviews the validity and decides whether to approve it.

Since 1961, a total of 72 Antarctic Specially Protected Areas have been designated by 16 countries including South Korea, the United States, France, and Japan. The countries that proposed the designation take the lead in establishing and implementing management plans for ecosystem surveys, environmental management, and access control.

Previously, the Penguin Village designated by South Korea is currently under protection activities such as annual ecosystem monitoring and waste collection, carried out in cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and the Korea Polar Research Institute.

Yoo Ho, Director of the Natural Ecology Policy Division at the Ministry of Environment, said, "Along with the '2021 P4G Seoul Green Future Summit' held at the end of May this year, the designation of Inexpressible Island as a protected area is meaningful as a national contribution to the international community's response to climate change," adding, "We will actively promote the protection and management of Inexpressible Island in cooperation with the three jointly proposing countries."