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.

The Republic of Korea has experienced rapid economic growth alongside increasing concern for animal welfare. However, progress in improving farm animal welfare remains slow, particularly in slaughterhouses, which are recognized as critical points for animal welfare concerns due to numerous issues observed. Due to the impracticality of assessing all slaughterhouses nationwide, this study conducted a field survey of seven chicken slaughterhouses utilizing the widely adopted WQ® protocol. The evaluation criteria included crate density, rough handling, plumage loss and emaciation, panting or huddling, wing flapping, vocalization, leg fractures, and dead-on arrival (DOA). Given that broilers are transported in crates from farms to the stunning area, the relationship between crate density and these welfare indicators was analyzed. The significance level was set at <0.05. Revealed correlations between crate density and various health and welfare indicators, including rough handling, plumage loss and emaciation, crate height, panting or huddling, pen spacing, lairage temperature and humidity, wing flapping, vocalization, and DOA. This study represents a pioneering effort in the Korean poultry industry, marking the first development of a welfare standard for chicken slaughterhouses.

During an investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in the Republic of Korea, 17 bacterial strains belonging to the phylum Bacteroidota and 4 strains belonging to the phylum Bacillota were isolated from freshwater environments. These isolated bacterial strains formed a robust phylogenetic clade with type strains of the closest related bacterial species, with 16S rRNA gene sequences sharing similarities of higher than 98.7%. To date, there have been no official report of these 21 isolates in the Republic of Korea. At the genus level, these unreported species were affiliated with Mucilaginibacter and Pedobacter of class Sphingobacteriia, Flavobacterium and Gillisia of class Flavobacteriia, Hymenobacter of class Cytophagia, and Paenibacillus and Planococcus of class Bacilli. These species were further examined by performing Gram staining, analyzing their colonies and cell morphologies, and determining their basic biochemical characteristics and phylogenetic positions. Detailed descriptions of the 21 previously unreported species are provided.

Freshwater environments serve as crucial habitats for diverse microorganisms, playing essential roles alongside plants and animals within the ecosystem. Bacteria in these environments are particularly important for maintaining ecosystem functions. Among them, members of the phylum Pseudomonadota are known to be involved in processes such as nitrogen fixation, ammonia oxidation, and biofilm formation. Pseudomonadota comprises six classes: Acidithiobacillia, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Hydrogenophilia, and Zetaproteobacteria. This study reports 43 previously unrecorded species belonging to the phylum Pseudomonadota. They were isolated from various freshwater habitats in Republic of Korea. These strains were isolated and cultured using nine different standard media, with classification based on Gram staining, cell morphology, and biochemical characteristics. Species identity was determined using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with a similarity threshold of 98.7% for designation as unreported species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these 43 strains were distributed across three classes, 13 orders, 28 families, and 39 genera. This research emphasizes microbial diversity in freshwater ecosystems and provides valuable insights into ecological roles and potential novel functions of unreported bacterial species in Korea.

The first African swine fever (ASF) virus infection in wild boar was reported in October in 2019 in Yeoncheon-gun. ASF control measures including passive/active surveillance, fencing, or hunting have been applied by the Korean government from the beginning of disease outbreak. Despite significant financial investment in ASF control strategies, the virus has continued to circulate among wild boars up to 2024. A basic reproduction number (R0) can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of ASF control strategy by providing the disease spread speed. During the ASF epidemic period, the spread speed could be estimated with the average number of new cases generated by an infected case. The current study estimated R0 for the 2019/24 ASF epidemics in wild boars in the Republic of Korea by using the daily reported number of ASF cases and the serial interval of ASF virus. The estimated mean R0 was 2.19 (range: 0.03 - 65.00) for the 2019/24 ASF epidemics, 3.05 (range: 0.70 - 10.40) in 2019, 2.01 (range: 0.06 - 9.79) in 2020, 1.94 (range: 0.07 - 7.35) in 2021, 4.71 (range: 0.21 - 61.95) in 2022, 1.93 (range: 0.11 - 7.53) in 2023, and 3.08 (range: 0.09 - 24.59) in 2024, respectively. Despite the ASF control measures, the ASF epidemic situation in wild boars was exacerbated. Targeted wild boar population management and active carcass searches are necessary to reduce the spread of ASF.

Mauremys reevesii (Reeves’ turtle) is an endemic freshwater turtle species found throughout East Asia. Due to a rapid population decline, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Korean government have classified this species as Endangered (EN). The reported largest population size of M. reevesii in the Republic of Korea was previously estimated to be approximately 20-30 individuals. Our study assessed the population size and structure of M. reevesii at Geumho Reservoir, Republic of Korea, using a capture-recapture data. A total of 433 M. reevesii were incidentally captured during a 35-week trapping process conducted from March to October 2023. The sex ratio of the captured population exhibited a male bias of 1.3 : 1. Sexual size dimorphism was observed only in body weight. Individuals were recaptured up to 11 times during the study period, with males and females being recaptured at an average of 2.1±2.0 times and 1.5±0.9 times, respectively. The estimated population size of M. reevesii in Geumho Reservoir was approximately 891 turtles. The absence of notable sexual size dimorphism and significant sex ratio differences suggests that the population in this area may have been established relatively recently. Compared to previous records, the population in Geumho Reservoir represents the largest single population of M. reevesii, both within the Republic of Korea and globally.

현대 군사 환경에서 병력 보충 방식은 부대의 전투력 유지와 직접적인 연관이 있으며, 한국군의 경우 기존의 개인보충 방식이 부대 응집력 저하 및 전투력 약화의 원인으로 작용하고 있다. 특히, 2021년 12월 병 복무기간이 18개월로 단축된 이후, 개인보충 방식이 과거와 동일하게 유지되면서 연간 병력 교체율이 66%를 상회하게 되었으며, 이로 인해 부대의 전투 효율성 유지가 더욱 어려워지고 있다. 또한, 현재 동원 부대의 편성 방식 역시 개별 동원지정을 기반으로 하고 있어 부대 고정율이 낮고, 짧은 동원훈련 기간으로 인해 유사시 신속한 전투력 발휘에 한계가 존재한다. 이에 따라, 기존 개인보충 방식의 한계를 극복할 수 있는 새로운 병력 보충 방식의 도입이 필요하다. 본 연구는 한국군의 현역 및 동원전력 보충 방안으로 ‘중대단위 부대보충’ 개념을 제안하고, 이를 통해 전투력 유지 및 응집력 강화를 도모하는 방안을 모색하였다. 이를 위해 독일, 이스라엘, 미국 등의 부대보 충 사례를 분석하고, 이를 한국군에 적용할 수 있는 정책적 시사점을 도출하였다. 또한, 부대보충 방식이 부대의 전투력과 조직 응집력에 미치는 영향을 실증적으로 분석하기 위해 전투력 평가 실험을 설계하고, 경제적 타당성 분석을 수행하였다. 분석 결과, 중대단위 부대보충 방식은 병력 운영의 안정성을 높이고, 장기적으로 전투력 유지 및 국가 방위력 강화에 기여할 수 있는 것으로 평가되었다. 본 연구는 한국군의 병력 보충 방식에 대한 새로운 접근법을 제시하고, 부대보충 방식이 기존 개인보충 방식에 비해 효과적인 대안이 될 수 있음을 실증적으로 검토하였다. 이를 통해, 향후 군사정책 수립 및 동원체제 개편에 있어 중요한 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

In this study, 41 individuals in 7 locations within CP, MG, UC, and DN map sheets were observed. The MG map sheet had the highest number (n=13) of individuals, while the CP-3 site on the CP map sheet had the lowest number (n=1) of individuals. Land use analysis indicated that the MG site with the highest number of individuals had a high percentage (70.56%) of forest land areas with a small percentage (12.63%) of farmland areas. The CP-3 site with the lowest number of individuals had a small percentage (26.47%) of farmland areas. It also had the highest percentage (32.13%) of residential and commercial areas, covering 19,616 m2. Measurement results of the physical habitat environment for B. karubei indicated a mean substrate of -2.1 (Φm), an average water depth of 63.0 cm, and a flow velocity of 0.2 m s-1. The association rule analysis for co-occurring species revealed that Semisulcospira coreana, Ecdyonurus kibunensis, and Goera japonica had the highest associations among lotic species, while Limnodrilus gotoi and Calopteryx japonica demonstrated the highest association among lentic species.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the carbon storage capacity of broad-leaf forests in Republic of Korea through the analysis of studies related to carbon storage and carbon uptake, and to analyse the relationship between climatic factors affecting carbon storage capacity. We analysed the results of each previous study by summarising the research results of 55 previous studies collected through search, and organised the study area information and climate factors (elevation, average annual temperature, annual precipitation, etc.). And the carbon storage and net primary production of the above and below-ground and the whole plant were evaluated and the correlation with the climatic factors was statistically analysed. The analysis showed that the carbon storage of broad-leaved forests was positively correlated with altitude and negatively correlated with precipitation. These results mean that carbon accumulation in plants is more effective at higher altitudes with lower temperatures, and that broad-leaf forests are able to adapt and perform carbon storage functions in areas with low precipitation. Carbon uptake was negatively correlated with altitude and positively correlated with temperature. This means that the carbon absorption capacity of broad-leaved forests is greatly affected by temperature, and that the carbon absorption potential is greater in lowlands. Therefore, policies should be actively established to increase and preserve the carbon storage capacity of forests by considering the characteristics of the ecosystem functions of broadleaf forests and climate factors. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the understanding of the carbon cycle of broad-leaved forests and to the development of management measures, and to provide scientific data for carbon neutrality.

This study reassessed two KBA sites in the Republic of Korea following the KBA guidelines. Both sites met the sub-criteria A1a, A1b, and D1a, confirming their status as KBA. These assessments provide a scientific foundation for discussions on designating new protected areas or expanding existing ones. Through this study, we confirmed that continuous biodiversity conservation is essential for Geum-gang river and estuary and Yubu-do to maintain their KBA status. This KBA reassessment provides an important scientific foundation for discussions on the designation of new protected areas or the expansion of existing ones. Furthermore, this study was based on a previously evaluated taxonomic group, birds, highlighting the need for future assessments to include other biological taxa and evaluation criteria, such as Criteria B or E, for a more comprehensive analysis.