South Korea韩国

K.C. Fraser

This review assesses The National Atlas of Korea (2009 concise edition), a South Korean publication containing approximately 380 thematic and topographical maps with 50 pages of explanatory text, predominantly covering the Republic of Korea. The atlas spans topics from landforms, climate, population, and economy to culture and transportation, featuring unusual maps of earthquake epicentres, snowfall dates, and migratory bird routes. Although most maps use a small 1:5,000,000 scale, 60 full-page maps include 1:500,000 topographical maps, and a 1:10,000 map of Dokdo Island reflects South Korea's territorial dispute with Japan. The reviewer highlights notable facts—third-highest population density globally, fourth-largest oil importer, highest OECD male smoking rate—and concludes the atlas effectively informs readers about contemporary Korea despite small-scale maps and lettering.

Gregory Chu; Jongnam Choi; Chul Sue Hwang; Doug Andersen; Kenneth H. Keller; Michael Robinson; Kelly Swanson

This article introduces the second edition of The National Atlas of Korea, published in December 2014 by the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) of South Korea, and explores its value as a resource for teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) in the United States. The article begins by outlining the atlas's publication background and accessibility, noting that it comprehensively presents South Korea's geography and its social, economic, political, global, and historical attributes, and also includes unique and otherwise unavailable demographic, urbanization, and economic data about North Korea. The atlas is organized into five chapters covering territory, government and local autonomy, transformation and development of the land, Korea in the world, and maps of Korea. The third chapter is highlighted as the core for geography and social studies instruction, detailing South Korea's planning and development since the 1953 armistice, with a wealth of single-variable, bivariate, and multivariate maps that serve as a treasure trove for APHG curricula. The central focus of the article is on how to effectively use these maps in the classroom to cultivate spatial thinking skills. The authors distinguish between map reading (extracting information) and map analysis (visualizing patterns and posing new questions), and elaborate on several key techniques of spatial thinking, including visualization and pattern recognition, asking "what if" questions, analyzing geographic attributes, establishing spatial associations, and generating hypotheses. Using specific map examples, such as the growth of commuters in the Capital Region, the article demonstrates how to guide students in recognizing patterns, asking "why" questions, and conducting further spatial analysis and hypothesis generation. The article concludes by emphasizing the atlas's immense teaching value, mentioning the accompanying curriculum articulation document, and underscoring that the atlas is freely downloadable, making it an indispensable resource for U.S. geography and social studies teachers.

Gregory H. Chu; Chul Sue Hwang; Jongnam Choi

Spatial thinking, defined by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) as a way of thinking that integrates spatial concepts, representation tools, and reasoning processes, is a key competency in K-12 geography education. However, secondary classrooms often lack well-designed resources to teach these elements. This paper documents a project that utilized the National Atlas of Korea—a freely accessible, content-rich atlas—to develop geography lesson plans for U.S. secondary education. Four experienced geography teachers were invited to design four "AP Human Geography" (APHG) lesson plans that integrate spatial concepts, thematic map interpretation, and reasoning processes, covering topics such as urban planning and urbanization, cultural diffusion, population dynamics, and development. Since the fall of 2015, these lesson plans have been implemented 19 times in secondary classrooms and 2 times in university classrooms, reaching over 800 students in Utah, Georgia, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Qualitative observations from teachers indicate that students were able to comprehend thematic maps of varying complexity, identify spatial patterns and associations, and enhance their spatial reasoning, critical thinking, and collaborative learning skills; they also gained background knowledge about Korean geography and culture. Additionally, a companion APHG curriculum alignment document helped teachers connect atlas resources to course standards. This project demonstrates that national atlases can serve as effective tools for teaching spatial thinking and provide reusable materials for APHG courses. Future efforts will expand the lesson plans by utilizing newly published volumes on the physical and human geography of Korea.

The Government of the Republic of Korea has published the National Atlas of Korea twice: in 2007 and in 2014–2016. The national atlas published in 2014–2016 is evaluated as more advanced than the 2007 edition in terms of format and content. However, it still leaves room for improvement in the quality of maps, infographics, and descriptive texts compared with models from developed countries. In addition, considering the rapidly increasing demand for spatial information in the 21st century and the widespread use of computer technology in society, it is time for the national atlas to be supplemented with a digital system. In this context, this paper aims to propose development directions for future editions of the National Atlas of Korea. To this end, the production and evolution of national atlases were analyzed by dividing cases into domestic and foreign; foreign cases were further classified into book-type and digital formats. Based on this analysis, improvement strategies were suggested in four respects: development of the book-type national atlas, development of a digital national atlas adopting an atlas information system, establishment of a continuous updating system, and institutional arrangements for atlas production. The paper first reviews the history of Korean national atlases, including the trial version of 1989, the single-volume atlas of 2007, and the three-volume atlas published from 2014 to 2016. Then, examples from Finland, Canada, Japan, and other countries are examined in both printed and digital forms to identify paradigm shifts in digital atlases. Finally, based on domestic and international experiences, the following recommendations are made: first, the printed national atlas should evolve into an encyclopedic regional atlas format similar to those produced in Europe, considering Korea’s relatively small territory and prior publishing experience; second, a digital atlas information system should be established by integrating and organizing spatial information currently scattered across portal sites; third, a regular updating system using internet platforms should be implemented to provide timely revisions of general maps and statistical data; fourth, legal clauses concerning the national atlas should be added to the Framework Act on National Land and its enforcement decree, and a permanent dedicated organization should be established to ensure stable production. This study provides systematic directional guidance for the compilation of future national atlases.

Aimée C. Quinn

This review evaluates The National Atlas of Korea, Volume I: National Territory, a 170-page volume edited by Jeong-Rock Lee et al., published in 2014 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the National Geographic Information Institute of the Republic of Korea. The atlas, the first in a planned five-volume series, synthesizes cartographic, photographic, and statistical materials to present Korea's territorial history, government structure, land transformation, and global position. Organized into four sections—"Territory," "Government and Local Autonomy," "Transformation and Development of the Land," and "Korea in the World"—the volume employs GIS and data-mining technologies to document Korea's socioeconomic development and territorial integrity since ancient times, while emphasizing themes of national resilience and post-independence modernization. The reviewer highlights the atlas's visual richness and comprehensive administrative data, but also notes that the new technologies are underutilized in cross-referencing layers of data. Overall, the volume serves as an authoritative national self-representation, aiming to circulate an accurate understanding of Korea's physical and human geography to international audiences. The review also informs readers of free online access and limited print distribution.