KLRI : KOREA LEGISLATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Ⅰ. Background and Purpose of Research

▶Expansion of Demand for Mountain Village Recreation and Healing

○With urbanization reaching its peak, there has been growing demand for rest and healing. At the same time, advancements in information and communication technology have enabled people to work from anywhere, expanding public interest in work–life balance and workation opportunities in rural areas. In particular, it has become necessary to explore strategies for revitalizing mountain villages that go beyond the traditional focus on primary industries such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and to reflect instead new trends and demand for combining work, rest, and healing. Promoting forest tourism is the most effective way of responding to these emerging needs.

▶Responding to Population Decline and Revitalizing Mountain Villages

○Tourism-led regional development and local economic revitalization are increasingly discussed as means of addressing the issue of population decline. Mountain villages once played a vital role as living spaces and community centers for local residents. Despite mounting concerns over the depopulation of mountain villages, urban residents’ interest in these areas—and expectations regarding the “potential” value thereof—are also on the rise. Accordingly, it is necessary to consider actively the formulation of policies that address population decline through mountain village tourism in the future.

▶ Need to Institutionalize Forest and Mountain Village Tourism

○At present, there is no legal or institutional framework defining or regulating the concept and scope of forest and mountain village tourism. Although the relevant policies exist, no corresponding legal framework has been established. As a result, tourism activities based on forest and mountain environments may lead to environmental damage, reckless development, ecosystem disturbance, and conflicts among residents. Moreover, inter-ministerial cooperation and role-sharing among agencies may also face difficulties. Therefore, it is necessary to establish legal provisions that clearly define forest and mountain village tourism, stipulate its support scope and basis, and create a structure that enables public–private participation—ensuring that these efforts contribute to local economic development.

▶This study aims to propose legislative measures for the introduction of forest and mountain village tourism policies. Specifically, it seeks to establish normative grounds for the concept, scope of application, promotion measures, and support for fostering forest and mountain village tourism professionals.

Ⅱ. Main Contents

▶ Understanding Forest Tourism

○Forests and mountain villages—although distinct concepts—are often interchangeably understood as “forested spaces.” Both share the common task of conserving and utilizing forest resources, and they can be linked through “tourism” as a means of revitalization. Forest and mountain village tourism goes beyond the simple use of tourism resources, encompassing multiple functions: ① sustainable conservation of forest resources; ② revitalization of mountain village communities and response to population decline; and ③ fulfillment of public demand for healing and recreation.

○Although forest tourism shares similarities and overlaps with concepts such as mountain village tourism, ecotourism, green tourism, rural and fishing village tourism, and mountain tourism, it also possesses distinct characteristics.

○Forest tourism not only responds to the growing demand for recreation and healing but also offers a potential solution to challenges facing depopulated regions, serving as a driver of mountain village revitalization.

○Major tourism-related legislation in Korea includes the Framework Act on Tourism, Tourism Promotion Act, Natural Environment Conservation Act, Act on Fostering and Supporting the Rural Convergence Industry, Special Act on the Establishment of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Special Act on the Establishment of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, Proposed Act on the Designation and Operation of Mountain Tourism Promotion Zones, Marine Leisure Tourism Promotion Act, and Act on the Promotion of the Healing Tourism Industry.

▶ Policies Related to Forest and Mountain Village Tourism

○Policies related to forest tourism are being promoted by multiple ministries including the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, and Korea Forest Service. These policy trends are characterized by an emphasis on wellness and healing tourism, sustainable tourism, and leisure- and recreation-oriented tourism.

○To expand forest and mountain village tourism policies, it is essential to establish clear policy and institutional definitions. Currently, there is insufficient differentiation from related concepts such as ecotourism, rural tourism, and mountain tourism. For example, the Framework Act on Forestry and the Forestry Culture and Recreation Act—while defining key concepts that could be seen as part of forest tourism such as forest welfare, forest culture, forest healing, and forest leisure sports—contain no explicit provisions on forest tourism itself. As a new tourism trend, forest tourism requires first establishing clear policy and institutional definitions first, followed by determining the specific scope and content of related policies.

○Representative cases of forest and mountain village tourism include the Birch Forest in Inje, Gangwon Province and Japan’s Yakushima Island. For forest and mountain village tourism in Korea to evolve beyond a temporary trend and become a sustainable national resource for future generations, it is essential to establish clear conceptual definitions as well as a management framework at the legislative level first. Currently, similar terms such as forest trail tourism, forest recreation, and mountain village tourism are used interchangeably, leading to inconsistencies in policies and projects as well as fragmented management systems due to differing interpretations among ministries and local governments. Only by clearly defining concepts and scopes of application in law can policy execution and institutional stability be ensured. In particular, a legal foundation must be established to use forest and mountain village tourism as a regional revitalization strategy in depopulated areas.

▶ Institutionalization of Forest and Mountain Village Tourism

○Concept: Establishing a clear legal definition of forest and mountain village tourism is necessary not only to prevent interpretative disputes and conflicts that may arise in the course of law enforcement, but also to enhance the conciseness of legal texts by providing a unified explanation of frequently used terms in advance. Accordingly, the definition of forest and mountain village tourism should be framed in a way that differentiates it from its general meaning, ensuring that the term is used in a legally, administratively specific sense.

○Acts Requiring Amendment: From the perspective of the overall legal system, it would be more appropriate to include provisions on forest and mountain village tourism within the Forestry Culture and Recreation Act—which focuses primarily on service functions—instead of within the Forestry and Mountain Villages Development Promotion Act, which was enacted mainly for economic purposes.

○Policy (Administrative Planning): If the concept and detailed policies related to forest tourism are incorporated into the Forestry Culture and Recreation Act, the contents of the current Basic Plan for Forestry Culture and Recreation should be expanded to include forest tourism as an integral component.

○Tourism Revitalization: A key feature of forest and mountain village tourism lies not in developing new tourism complexes or special zones, but in revitalizing tourism by using and developing existing forest resources. Therefore, it is necessary to specify in the law that the Minister of the Korea Forest Service and the heads of local governments shall be the primary entities responsible for promoting forest tourism projects.

○Installation of Convenience Facilities: Tourism-related facilities—although varying widely in type and scale—should be narrowly defined as “ancillary” or “supplementary” to existing forest culture and recreation facilities in the context of forest and mountain village tourism, e.g., access roads, visitor centers, and parking lots.

○Collaboration with Local Communities: Since “revitalizing the local economy” is one of the key objectives and defining features of forest and mountain village tourism, provisions promoting collaboration with local residents and communities should be established. As part of such collaboration, it is necessary to identify and train forest tourism professionals from within local communities and to support them in participating in and benefiting from forest tourism initiatives.

Ⅲ. Expected Effects

▶Defining the concept of forest and mountain village tourism and institutionalizing it in response to legislative needs will help secure predictability and legitimacy in policy implementation within the forestry sector, which has so far experienced a legal vacuum.

▶Institutionalizing forest and mountain village tourism will also clarify the roles of the public and private sectors and establish a legal foundation for inter-ministerial cooperation and region-specific support mechanisms. Furthermore, this study is expected to serve as foundational reference material for the drafting of future legislation, policy evaluation, and development of regional revitalization strategies related to forest and mountain village tourism.