DPR Korea

DPR Korea

Capital:

Pyongyang

Land Area:

120,408km²

Inland Water Area:

130km²

Length of Coastline:

2,495km

The history of ICM in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) can be traced back to 1993 when the country joined the first phase of PEMSEA’s GEF-funded project. When the second phase started in 1999, the DPR Korea designated Nampho as an ICM demonstration site along with 6 other sites in the region. The designation of Nampho as one of PEMSEA's national ICM demonstration sites was one of the driving forces for development of ICM policy in the country. The Nampho ICM demonstration project which includes activities such as: the development of the Nampho Coastal Strategy; establishment of the Integrated Information Management System (IIMS) and the Integrated Environmental Monitoring Program (IEMP); start up of the Coastal Management Division and ICM Training Center; improvement of the potable water supply system in Nampho; and decreasing pollution in Nampho's coastal area. The success of the Nampho ICM demonstration project proved that scaling up ICM across the entire country would be beneficial to the people’s welfare and livelihood, as well as the environment. It  led DPRK to become a signatory to the Putrajaya declaration, which endorsed the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), and the Haikou Partnership Agreement which established PEMSEA as a regional coordinating mechanism for SDS-SEA implementation.

Recently, efforts to scale up ICM nationally have been initiated by the government. Following the model case of Nampho and guided by the National ICM Programme, Wonsan—the largest city in the East Sea area of DPR Korea—was designated as an ICM site in 2015. Aside from the two ICM sites, plans to scale up ICM in DPR Korea will include establishing a National ICM Coordinating Committee at the central level to ensure the efficient and effective implementation of programs at the national and local levels. The Committee will approve all the ICM-related work in DPR Korea including work plans, budgets andproject outputs. The government is also developing a management program for the Taedong River Basin. The Taedong River is the fifth longest river in DPRK, approximately 450km, and its watershed area covers over 20,000km2, including Pyongyang, the capital. The government has already prepared a profile of the Taedong River and formulated the draft management framework plan.

Focal Points:

Mr. Kwang-Jin Jong (National Focal Point)

Deputy Director-General, General Bureau for Cooperation with International Organizations (GBCIO)

c/o Dr. Won-Tae Shin

Regional Project Manager ODA/MOF, PRF

General Bureau for Cooperation with International Organizations (GBCIO)

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

  • September 2024

    PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2024

    Dear PEMSEA community,

    Welcome to the September e-bulletin!

    With just over a month to go until the East Asian Seas Congress, we are excited to unveil our lineup of global and regional experts who will lead various technical sessions and plenary discussions. The opening ceremony will feature Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO and Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO, alongside Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council,  Ministers and senior leaders of PEMSEA country and non-country partners.

    As the EASC returns to Xiamen, discover how the Congress has evolved and thrived over three decades, paralleling the city’s own journey toward promoting sustainable and resilient blue economy.

    This month, PEMSEA representatives are taking the stage at various workshops and events across the globe. PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales participated in the Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop of Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries held in Beijing, China, on 26 September 2024 where she emphasized the importance of integrating coastal management mechanisms with area-based management tools to meet global biodiversity targets.

    Ms. Nancy Bermas, Regional Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, attended the 10th Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23-26 September 2024, where she delivered a pitch on the IRBM Project’s experience in establishing governance mechanisms at both regional and basin levels.

    While Ms. Gusung Lee, PEMSEA Technical Advisor was in Bangkok, Thailand to represent PEMSEA in a panel discussion on regional and subregional instruments, frameworks and bodies (IFBs) at the Workshop for North-East and South-East Asia on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), held from 16-20 September 2024. She discussed PEMSEA’s experience in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as essential tools to manage land-sea use interaction which would be vital in extending protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas.

    From the field, we share the latest updates on the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN IRBM project which held a dialogue with indigenous leaders in the Province of Pampanga on 17 September 2024. The Marine Plastics Project local partners in Dipolog City and Bulan, Sorsogon in the Philippines participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on 21 September 2024.

    In other news, PEMSEA and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have renewed their partnership on biodiversity conservation and marine habitat protection and restoration through a five-year Letter of Cooperation, signed on 20 September  2024, by their respective Executive Directors Aimee Gonzales and Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.

    From the ATSEA-2 Project, check out the recent publication of six key scientific studies focused on marine conservation and sustainable development in the Arafura and Timor Seas.

  • PEMSEA eBulletin - August 2024

    PEMSEA eBulletin - August 2024

    Dear PEMSEA community,

    Welcome to the August e-bulletin!

    We have a little over 60 days before EAS Congress 2024 kicks off! Do check out the messages from Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, alongside key officials Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, and Huang Wenhui, Mayor of Xiamen, inviting the global ocean community to join us in this triennial event to foster stronger regional collaboration in ocean governance and management.

    This month’s bulletin also features the winners of the “Humans of East Asian Seas” challenge which we launched last year to commemorate PEMSEA’s 30th anniversary. Thirty local champions of coastal and marine conservation across the region were selected, with the top three profiled in this bulletin in recognition of their contributions in promoting sustainable coastal development, namely: Ms. Masako Bannai Otsuka of Japan, Mr. Prak Visal of Cambodia, and Dr. Wang Jinhe of China.

    We also want to inform you about the new features on the SEA Knowledge Bank platform. The revamped platform now includes an e-library of scientific publications, an interactive map of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) sites, and new resources from ongoing projects.

    Local government officials from Tangerang Regency, Indonesia, recently completed an ICM study tour in Batangas City, Philippines. The visit, held from 30 July to 1 August 2024, facilitated LGU to LGU knowledge exchange on sustainable coastal practices and management strategies.

    The GEF/UNDP/ASEAN River Basin Project organized a Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workshop in Bogor City, Indonesia, on 6-7 August 2024. The workshop brought together participants from seven river basins in ASEAN member states to discuss regional GESI analysis, develop stakeholder maps, and improve capacity for mainstreaming GESI principles in river basin management programs.

    In other updates, a recent PEMSEA study reveals growing interest in Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) across the East Asian Seas region. BCE projects, focusing on mangroves, seagrasses, and other critical habitats, are advancing efforts in conservation, research, and restoration.

    From the ATSEA-2 Project, global experts convened in Bali, Indonesia for the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development with ATSEA-2 Regional Project Manager, Dr. Handoko Adi Susanto representing ATSEA/PEMSEA in the dialogue.

    The 2024 EAS Congress will be hosted by China in Xiamen from 6-8 November 2024. It is organized through a partnership between the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, and PEMSEA.

    The event will take place in conjunction with Xiamen World Ocean Week, featuring the city's commitment to sustainable ocean management and regional collaboration.

    For more information, visit the 2024 EAS Congress website.

  • PNLC EC Meeting Proceedings 2024 Executive Committee Meeting Proceedings Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

    PEMSEA NETWORK OF LEARNING CENTERS (PNLC) 2024 Executive Committee Meeting Proceedings

    The document contains the proceedings from the PNLC Executive Committee (EC) held 22 July 2024 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines.

    The meeting was participated in by the President and Vice-President of the PNLC, the PEMSEA Executive Director the PNLC Secretariat from IPB and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The agenda included:

    ·       Review of the PNLC Workplan
    ·       PNLC Secretariat Turnover MOA to CCMRS-IPB
    ·       Updates and plans on PNLC Financial Sustainability Efforts
    ·       New PNLC Membership Applications
    ·       PNLG-PNLC Joint Session at the EAS Congress 2024
    ·       4th PNLC General Assembly Agenda

    The meeting was organized jointly by the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (CCMRS) of the IPB University, Indonesia with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines.