In this study, the fish-migration ratios of rivers were analyzed, with the aim of proposing objective materials to help South Koreans to establish fish migration systems efficiently in the future. A total of 34,012 weirs have been built in the five major basins, with 5,081 fish-ways observed. Consequently, the fish migration ratio was considered low (14.9 %). According to the findings of the study analyzing the 5,081 fish-ways, standard-type fish-ways took up 68 % of the total while the non-standard types accounted for 32 %. The five major basins were observed to have a total fish-migration ratio of 21.4 %. Regarding tributaries, Tributary 1 accounted for 27.5 % of the fish-migration ratio, while Tributary 2 and 3 accounted for 19.8 % and 16.3 %, respectively. In conclusion, the study argues that any relevant field in the fishing industry of South Korea needs to improve their understanding of the fish-migration ratio. This would be expected, eventually, to help them maximize the efficiency of a minimum number of fish-ways. In addition, the study supports the need for those in relevant fields to study carefully the ecological needs of each fish species, before establishing priority standards for the building of fish-ways.