South Korea's use of pesticides began with its forced conversion to the Japanese agricultural regime during Japanese occupation in the early 20th Century. Behind rapid industrialisation in the post-1960s, were problems of environmental pollution and pesticide poisoning due to the world's highest pesticide use. With authorities leaving control to agrochemical companies, and the companies only interested in selling pesticides, a pesticide policy for nature and people is a long way off.

South Korea is ranked 17th in the world for cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, most of which come from the energy sector. The country’s policies for energy transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear power began with the expansion of participatory renewable energy. However, the new government has taken a step backwards from previous policies that aspired to a sustainable and carbon-neutral society.

This Korean translation is based on the 2021 English version of the Plastic Atlas Asia Edition.  'Plastic Atlas-Asia' is a global environmental report that contains data and facts about the plastic-filled Earth, especially the plastic problem in Asia, in text, statistics, and graphics. It is the third topic in the Korean version of the 'Atlas ATLAS' series of global environmental reports by the German Heinrich Böll Foundation (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung), following 'Coal Atlas' and 'Plastic Atlas-World Edition'.