Changes take effect in second half of 2026, covering new industry support, forestry conditions and mountain village revitalization
South Korea has revised its Forest Land Management Act to support the growth of new strategic industries, improve operating conditions for forestry workers and revitalize mountain villages.
The Korea Forest Service, led by Commissioner Park Eun-sik, announced Wednesday that it has amended the enforcement decree and rules under the Forest Land Management Act as part of a broader regulatory overhaul in the forest land sector, with the changes set to take full effect in the second half of 2026.
The revision focuses on rationalizing forest land use regulations to reflect changes in the industrial environment and feedback from the field, and on improving administrative convenience for the public and forestry workers. It also introduces a new "mountain village stay shelter" system aimed at expanding the resident population in mountain communities and revitalizing local economies.
▶ Rationalizing forest land use regulations to strengthen national competitiveness
Research facilities for nationally designated strategic industries — including semiconductors, secondary batteries and displays — will be exempt from standing timber volume standards when seeking forest land conversion permits, smoothing the path for research and development infrastructure. The service will also allow public-use data centers on forestry land in response to growing demand driven by AI industry expansion. It has also rationalized regulations so that factories undergoing expansion can use existing factory sites for access when those sites are already available.
▶ Institutional improvements to enhance convenience for forestry workers and the public
When the routes of work roads or timber transport roads used for forest management change, operators will no longer need to file a change report immediately; instead, they may submit an updated route map when they later file a restoration design. The permitted period for temporary forest land use for simple agricultural and forestry facilities — such as forest management offices — has been extended to a maximum of 10 years regardless of area. The installment deposit period for site restoration costs at stone and soil extraction sites has also been expanded from three installments over three years to five installments over five years, easing the financial burden on forestry workers and industry.
▶ Introduction of 'mountain village stay shelters' to revitalize mountain communities and counter regional depopulation
The mountain village stay shelter is a temporary lodging facility designed to encourage urban residents to spend extended time in mountain villages and to support forestry workers' forest management activities. The shelters may be built on privately owned forest land in mountain village areas designated under the Framework Act on Forestry, with a site area of less than 100 square meters and a floor area of no more than 33 square meters. However, installation will be prohibited in areas at risk of natural disasters, including landslide-prone zones, disaster-prevention districts, collapse-risk areas and natural disaster risk improvement zones. Outdoor incineration facilities and other fire-handling equipment will be banned to prevent forest fires and protect users, while fire extinguishers and other residential firefighting equipment will be mandatory inside the shelters. The Korea Forest Service said it expects the new system to expand urban residents' stays in mountain villages, grow the local resident population and help revitalize regional economies while laying the groundwork for people to return to mountain communities.
Jo Yeong-hui, director general of the Korea Forest Service's Forest Welfare Bureau, said the revision "is an institutional improvement aimed at supporting the development of new industries needed to strengthen national competitiveness, improving management conditions for forestry workers, and breathing new vitality into mountain villages." She added that the service would "continue to pursue rational regulatory reform that the public and the field can actually feel, by actively reflecting changes in the policy environment and opinions from the ground."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
