ABSTRACT
Food production was greatly constrained by limited farmlands and fertile land scarce in this montane country where floodplains along major rivers and narrow valleys are commonplace. Population growth from the early 20th century was rapid in Korea, just when population pressure was already very high in relation to food production capacity. It was therefore necessary to find an alternative source for arable land, for example marshes along coasts and river channels. Tidal flats appeared to be a valuable potential resource for arable land through reclamation. However, reclamation was minimal until the middle of the 20th century due to limited means for dike construction. In recent decades, contrarily, the scale of reclamation has escalated phenomenally as technologies and construction equipm ent becam e available. This engendered new environmental conflicts as the economic value of reclamation changed.
