In this study, we analyzed and projected the future toll revenue of privatized expressways in Korea as their concession periods expire to propose legal and institutional improvements for effective public reinvestment. We focused on 17 expressways that are privately operated and currently in service as of late 2023. We constructed multiple scenarios extending from 2031 to 2050 to anticipate how toll revenues might evolve over time. Although these projections could prove inaccurate or anachronistic, we considered a range of outcomes. Legal frameworks such as the Toll Road Act and the Private Investment Act were also examined to explore whether reinvestment of toll income would be legally viable after the end of the concession agreements. We considered a scenario in which toll rates remained unchanged after the concession expired. In such a case, projected net revenues might reach roughly KRW 1.319 trillion by 2031 and increase to about KRW 10.146 trillion by 2050. That value is roughly KRW 11.8 trillion over two decades—a considerable sum. To put this in context, as of the end of 2023, this figure would represent a substantial slice of the total market capitalization of private expressways. On the other hand, lowering the tolls to match those of public roads would cut the revenue nearly in half. Of note, current laws mostly restrict toll income to basic maintenance; any broader use would require legislative reform. Legal revisions are needed to allow the reinvestment of surplus toll revenue from expired concessions into new SOC projects. Additionally, measures such as toll adjustment and integrated toll system management are recommended to enhance public benefit and investment sustainability.

From 2017 to 2024, we surveyed 43 diverse aquatic habitats in South Korea, leading to the identification of 18 cyanobacterial taxa that are newly recorded for the country, found across eight sites (about 18% of the surveyed locations). These taxa exhibit a wide range of morphological forms, including unicellular, colonial, filamentous, and heterocytous types, and belong to various orders such as Chroococcales, Synechococcales, Nostocales, and Stigonematales. Notably, this study provides a provisional record of Gomphosphaeria aponina in Korea, correcting its previous misidentification as G. natans. We also documented Dolichospermum compactum, a species that has been genetically reclassified. Additionally, we identified species with the potential to cause harmful algal blooms (HABs), such as Microcystis botrys and Gloeotrichia aurantiaca, which are crucial for domestic water quality monitoring. Currently, only 414 cyanobacterial taxa are recorded in Korea, representing less than 8% of the estimated global total of approximately 5,300 species. This significant gap underscores the considerable unrecorded diversity within Korean aquatic ecosystems. These findings substantially enhance the national cyanobacterial checklist and underscore the need for ongoing monitoring in understudied aquatic environments. They also highlight the importance of integrating classical morphological and ecological observations with advanced molecular methods. This polyphasic approach can accurately detect cryptic diversity and support robust ecological assessments. Overall, this comprehensive floristic expansion offers valuable baseline data for biodiversity inventories, ecological monitoring, and the development of microbial resources within Korean aquatic environments.

Roseolithon sabulosum, a coralline algal species within Hapalidiaceae, has been documented from Japan. Phylogenetic analyses based on rbcL and psbA sequences confirmed that the Korean non-geniculate coralline algal specimens from Jeju Island are conspecific with Japanese R. sabulosum, including the holotype. Additionally, both morpho-anatomical and molecular analyses confirmed the identity of our specimens as R. sabulosum. Roseolithon sabulosum is characterized by flared epithallial cells, variable subepithallial initials, and multiporate tetra/bisporangial conceptacles elevated above the thallus surface with 4-7 rosette cells in conspicuous depressions that produce a pitted appearance. Its conceptacle roofs are composed of 3-6 cell layers, and pore canals are lined by 2-4-celled filaments containing rosette cells with disintegrated roofs underlain by elongate to wedge-shaped cells longer than other roof cells. In this study, we report R. sabulosum for the first time in Korea, thereby broadening its known distribution to include both Korea and Japan.

Five spider species from the genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805, namely Pholcus geogeum sp. nov., Pholcus hongseong sp. nov., Pholcus gochang sp. nov., Pholcus jeocheon sp. nov., and Pholcus yongin sp. nov., are newly described from Korea. These five new species, which belong to the phungiformes group within the genus, can be distinguished from their congeners by the shape and structure of the genital organs of both males and females. They are found on rock walls and at cave entrances in mountainous and hilly mixed forests. This study provides diagnoses, detailed descriptions, and taxonomic photographs of the newly described species.

In this study, we report the first occurrence of the filamentous green macroalga Basicladia okamurae (Cladophorales, Chlorophyta) from Korea. This species was originally described as Chaetomorpha okamurae by Ueda in 1932 in Japan and was later transferred to the genus Basicladia. Basicladia okamurae (Ueda) Garbary 2010 has also been found in China and the Netherlands, supported by morphological and molecular evidence. We collected several filamentous green algal individuals from the freshwater stream Sanhocheon (Changwon-si, Republic of Korea) and identified the species as B. okamurae based on morphological characteristics and nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequence analysis. The LSU rDNA sequences of the Korean B. okamurae exhibited 99.8-100% similarity with those of B. okamurae deposited in GenBank (NCBI) and could be distinguished from other species in the order Cladophorales, which showed less than 91.2% similarity. Based on this morphological and molecular evidence, we confirm the species identification as an unrecorded B. okamurae (Ueda) Garbary.

목적 : 국내 취학 전 영유아 시력검진 제도의 구조적 한계를 규명하고, 국제 가이드라인과의 비교를 통해 개선 방안을 제시하고자 하였다. 방법 : 보건복지부 고시, 국민건강보험공단 매뉴얼, 「의료법」, 「의료기사 등에 관한 법률」 등 국내 제도 자료 및 실태조사 보고서를 검토하였고, USPSTF, AAPOS/AAO PPP, UK NSC, 호주 StEPS, WHO 및 비교 연구를 고 찰하였다. 결과 : 해외는 Hirschberg, cover/uncover, Bruckner, 입체시, 단안 시력 등 표준화된 항목과 36개월 미만 기기 기반 검사를 포함한다. 반면 국내는 문진·관찰 위주로 표준화와 통일된 의뢰 기준이 부족해 약시·사시의 조 기 발견에 한계가 있으며, 안경사의 제도적 참여가 배제되어 전문성 활용이 제한된다. 결론 : 48–60개월 단안 시력의 표준화와 함께 Hirschberg, cover/uncover, Bruckner, 입체시 검사를 도입하 고, 36개월 미만 기기 기반 검사를 확대하며, 전국 단일 의뢰 기준과 품질보증(QA)·폐루프 관리체계를 확립하고, 안경사의 제도적 참여를 보장해야 한다. 이러한 제도적 개선은 시력검진의 정확도를 제고하고 국민 보건 향상에 기 여할 것으로 기대된다.

맵시혹나방(Meganola major (Hampson, 1891))은 구대륙 전반에 분포한다고 알려져 있으나, 주로 동양구에 집중 분포한다. 최근 전남지역 을 중심으로 종의 대발생이 확인되었으며, 이로 인해 배롱나무와 가래나무의 피해가 확인되고 있다. 본 종은 국내 분류학적 역사가 복잡한 바, 이번 논문을 통해 이 종의 분류학적 기록을 정확하게 파악하고자 한다. 또한 관찰을 근거로 간략한 생태적 정보 또한 제공하고자 한다.

Field drying remains the primary bottleneck to consistent alfalfa haymaking under Korea’s humid, rain-prone summers. This study evaluated how dry matter (DM) yield and tedding frequency shape seasonal drying trajectories and leaf shatter in Cheonan during 2024. The experiment was conducted in May, June, August, September, and October 2024 with three DM yield levels (3, 5, and 7 ton/ha) and three tedding regimes (no tedding, once daily, and twice daily). Favorable May–June weather enabled swaths to reach <20% moisture within 100 h, whereas in September–October, moisture commonly remained ≥50%, indicating conditions unsuitable for dry hay. Yield effects on drying were generally small except in August, when re-wetting events accentuated between-group differences. Tedding effects were season-dependent: treatment differences emerged after rainfall in August and were evident in September, with twice-daily tedding producing the lowest moisture among tedding treatments. Leaf dropout rose with greater tedding frequency and higher DM yield; significant tedding effects were detected in June and September, and twice-daily tedding often exceeded no-tedding for leaf losses, particularly at 7 ton/ha. Collectively, omitting tedding is a viable option for May–June hay (4 days to ~20% moisture), while for post-June harvests, tedding offers limited drying benefits and may elevate leaf shatter; ensiling is therefore recommended when drying conditions are suboptimal.

본 연구에서는 국내에서 처음 발견된 진딧물 Phyllaphoides bambusicola Takahashi, 1921을 보고한다. 2023–2024년 야외조사 중 한국 서 부 지역의 왕대 일종(Phyllostachys bambusoides)에서 P. bambusicola의 발생을 확인하였다. 유시 성충의 상세한 형태 기재와 계측값을 제시하였으 며, 생체 및 슬라이드 표본 사진을 포함하였다. 관찰된 피해 정도로 보아 이 종은 대나무류의 주요 해충이 될 것으로 예상되어 모니터링이 필요하다.