More than 91 endangered species found in Korea's Demilitarized Zone

야생동물 낙원 DMZ...멸종위기 91종 포착
40 years since civilians have been restricted from the area, the Demilitarized zone has now become a paradise for wild animals.
Kim Mok-yeon shares with us the latest report confirming there are nearly a hundred endangered species roaming free there.
The Environment Ministry and the National Institute of Ecology reported that the Korean Demilitarized Zone has become one of the world's havens of biodiversity.
The DMZ is a 4 kilometer wide buffer zone along the inter-Korean border.
Though the area represents only 1.6 percent of the South Korean territory, about 20 percent of the total number of living species in Korea were found in the area.
According to the report, nearly 4,900 species of wild flora and fauna inhabit the zone, including 91 endangered species such as the musk deer, the Asiatic black bear and wild cats.

“We are planning to use the data of our latest research in creating a systematic measure to conserve the ecosystem in the DMZ.”

The Environment Ministry expects more endangered species to be found around the DMZ, as the latest research only covered places that were free of land-mines.

Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.

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