유전자변형 작물의 제초제 저항성

권용웅 서울대학교 농업개발연구소 2001 농업생명과학연구 Vol.5 No.-

Genetically modified (GM) crops have become a reality in our cropping system. Herbicide-resistant genetically-modified crops are the most widely cultivated worldwide, representing 78% of GM crops in 1999, followed by insect-resistant GM crops with Bt gene. 1) Risks Arising from Gene Flow: Gene flow is the most touching risk arising from GM crops, and is categorized as three types: within species, between species and between GM crop and other organisms. Gene flow is a reality in the plant kingdom with evolutionary change. Herbicide resistance evolves naturally and spreads dynamically in weeds. One of the most concerning crops in relation to gene flow is Brassica napus, which has a high outcrossing rate and many relative species. The experiences with GM oilseed rape have shown that gene flow from a GM crop causes genetic contamination of non-GM crops and natural flora. In contrast, frequency of gene flow via outcrossing is relatively low in inbreeding cereal crops such as rice, wheat and barley, but published reports have shown that substantial gene flow is possible. Another possible and immediate risk is herbicide-resistant GM crops becoming volunteer weeds. Dry direct-seeded rice is one of the most likely crops in this respect. Stacking different resistance genes in a crop would accelerate multiple resistance evolution in weeds. Multiple resistance to three major herbicides has already been observed in oilseed rape cultivation. More efforts must be made for long-term risk assessment on GM crops in the natural ecosystem. More studies on weed biology and ecology, particularly reproductive processes in weeds, are essential for better understanding of gene flow and systematic management strategy. 2) Assessment of Gene Flow: Technically available methods for gene flow assessment are summarized here. Methods for direct monitoring of gene flow include direct bioassay of plants and detection of phenotypic and molecular genetic markers contained in GM crops. A recent green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker technique can be powerful in monitoring gene flow as GFP inserted into a plant can be observed macroscopically under UV light. Appropriate analysis of data from direct assessment may give more useful information to mitigate gene flow. Observation with direct method provides real-time data and mathematical-statistical approaches may enable the long-term consequence to be predictable. 3) Management of Gene Flow: Although an estimated gene flow is less than an acceptable level, gene flow must be maintained as low as possible with a systematic management. The management should be conducted stepwise; selection of gene flow-proof GM crops in the stage of development, rish assessment and regulation in the restration stage, cultural management, produce handling/transportation and a long-term monitoring in croping stage. Promising methods for developing gene flow-proof GM crops include conferring cleistogamy and chloroplast transformation to mitigate pollen flow, and breeding non- or minimum shedding cultivars to mitigate seed dispersal. It is strongly suggested that very high expression of a transgene or stacking multiple transgenes in the chloroplast could disturb the function of normal physiology, hence decreased performance of the GM crop. Before the approval of GM crops, proposed GM crops must go through the risk assessment. If the estimated risk of a GM crop exceeds an acceptable level, approval must be suspended. Once a GM crop is allowed for commercial release, additional efforts must follow, such as a continued long-term monitoring of the impact of GM crop cultivation, crop and herbicide rotations, GM crop-suited cultural practices, right-time harvest, and all necessary gene flow-preventive practices. Such a systematic management incorporating various methods for the stages of GM crop utilization will minimize the risk of gene flow.

GM작물 연구개발 및 상용화 동향

조정일(Jung-Il Cho),박성한(Sung-Han Park),이강섭(Gang-Seob Lee),김수민(Su-Min Kim),임수미(Su-Mi Lim),김연식(Youn-Shic Kim),박수철(Soo-Chul Park) 한국육종학회 2020 한국육종학회지 Vol.52 No.S

The global area of GM Crops continued to grow in 2018 and reached 191.7 million hectares. Twenty-six countries approved biotech crops for planting and an additional 44 countries (18 + 26 EU countries) officially imported biotech crops for food, feed, and processing, meaning that biotech crops are now commonly accepted in those countries. First-generation GM seed is being commercialized by global agricultural companies in advanced countries such as the United States and parts of Europe. The fact that more than 90% of first-generation GM seeds, which have been commercialized for 20 years, are both insect resistant and herbicide resistant proves that they continue to have an effect on improving agricultural productivity and increasing farmers incomes. As the effectiveness of GM crops has been proven and technology has been developed, the GM crop development trend has recently changed. In other words, it has moved from being producer-oriented to benefiting both farmers and consumers. In Korea, the National Program for GM Crops (NCGC), one of the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Programs organized by Rural Development Administration (RDA), was established in 2011 to develop biotech crops that will be used in the future to solve our agricultural problems. To accomplish this mission, the NCGC carried out the exploration of useful functional genes, the development of qualified events, and the safety assessment of developed events. Here, we introduce the current status of GM crop development and commercialization in the world and in Korea.

유전자변형작물의 국제 연구개발 및 국내 승인 동향

이기종,이선경,박소영,오성덕,한범수,비말라지 마니 한국국제농업개발학회 2020 韓國國際農業開發學會誌 Vol.32 No.4

1. 전 세계 GM작물 재배면적은 매년 꾸준히 증가하여 2018년에는 191.7백만 ha에 도달하였다. 26개국에서 GM작물이 재배되고 있으며, EU 포함 44개국에서 식품, 사료 및 가공용으로 승인하였다. 2. 국내 농업용 GM작물 승인 현황 조사 결과, 2015년에 GM작물이 가장 많이 승인되었으며, 농업적 형질은 제초제내성에 이어 해충저항성이 많았다. 단일품목과 후대교배종을 포함하여 옥수수가 가장 많이 승인된 작물이며, 후대교배종 승인은 꾸준히 증가하여 승인된 전체 GM작물의 57%를 차지한다. 3. 승인된 GM작물의 형질은 농업적 유용 형질에서 소비자 중심으로 변화되고 있다. 제초제내성과 해충저항성과 같은 1세대 GM작물은 생산비 절감이나 수량 증가 등으로 농민에게 경제적 이익을 제공하였으며, 2세대 GM작물은 소비자들에게 더 많은 혜택을 제공하는 기능성 강화나 산업용 특성을 증가시킨 것이 특징이다. 4. 향후 농업인과 소비자 모두에게 이익이 되는 연구개발과 실용화 추진을 위해 미래 대응 GM작물 개발과 형질 예측에 필요한 산업 성장 추세 정보를 제공하였다. The global cultivation area of GM crops continued to grow in 2018, and reached 191.7 million hectares. Twenty-six countries approved GM crops for cultivation and an additional 44 countries (including EU-28) imported GM crops for food, feed, and processing. This paper investigates the trends in GM approvals for agricultural uses based on the number of approving GM crops and traits in Korea. Results show that GM crops for feed were the most approved in 2015 and herbicide-tolerant traits had the highest GM crops approved, followed by insect-resistant traits. Maize had the highest number of GM crops, including single and stacked traits, and the stacked traits gradually increased, which is already 57% of the total approved GM crops. The approved GM crops’ traits are changing from economic benefits for farmers, to the consumers’ benefit. The first-generation GM crops, such as herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant, have proven their ability to offer important economic advantages, either in the form of lower production costs or higher yields. The second-generation GM crops feature increased nutritional value or industrial traits that have more benefits to consumers. Not only research and development, but also commercialization, should be carried out in a way that benefits both farmers and consumers in the future. Hence, the paper provided information on the growth of the GM crop industry, which may be vital in predicting future GM crops and traits.

말라위의 유전자변형 작물 (Genetically Modified Crops) 상업화 타당성에 대한 고찰

배유진 한국아프리카학회 2018 한국아프리카학회지 Vol.55 No.-

Malawi has been promoting the commercialization of Genetically Modified Crops (GM crops), such as BT cotton, BT cowpea and VR banana, all of which are considered important food and cash crops. In recent years, the production of these crops have decreased due to various reasons such as drought, flood and climate change. By looking at the importance of these crops and their recent productivity, the commercialization of GM crops can be justified as it can improve Malawi’s food security. Further, as Malawi has strong biosafety laws and regulation GM crops could potentially be used with minimum negative risks. However, the significance and important usages of these specific GM crops, and biotechnology in general, are often not specified and explained in the country’s key national policies and strategies such as the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) and National Agriculture Policy (NAP). In other words, despite the rapid commercialization of GM crops, it is unclear whether the government fully understand the role of such crops. This is a serious matter as the commercialization of GM crops will have a direct impact on the productivity of the agricultural sector which is the central pillar of Malawi’s food security and economic growth. Therefore, it is recommended that clear role of GM crops to be defined in national policies. This process is more likely to help farmers to understand the needs of the commercialization of GM crops which will bring about GM crop’s full potential benefit to Malawi’s agricultural sector and overall economic development. 최근 말라위는 유전자변형 작물 (GM 작물) 상업화를 위해 다양한 현장 실험을 진행 중이다. 말라위가 상업화를 위해 지정한 작물은 동부콩, 목화, 바나나이다. 이 작물들은 말라위 내에서 식량자원 및 환금작물로써 각각 중요한 역할을 하고 있으나 최근 5년간 해충과 바이러스 등의 영향으로 생산성이 하락하고 있다. 농업 부문은 말라위의 식량안보 및 수출수익에 있어 가장 중요한 역할을 하고 있기에 동부콩, 목화, 바나나를 포함한 주요 작물들의 생산성 하락은 경제적으로 타격을 줄 수밖에 없다. 이런 상황에서 GM 작물 상업화를 통한 생산성은 향상은 식량안보 뿐 아니라 환경안보 향상에 기여할 수 있기에 합당해 보인다. GM 작물 상업화를 성공적으로 이끌기 위해서는 정부의 역할이 중요하며, 특히 정책적인 측면에서 GM 작물 상업화가 경제, 농업 부문 발전에 어떻게 기여할 것이며 사용될 것인지 명확하게 나타나야 한다. 안타깝게도, 말라위의 농가 보조금 지급 프로그램 (FISP), 말라위 성장과 개발 계획 (MGDS), 국가 농업 정책 (NAP)을 분석해 본 결과, GM 작물에 대한 다양한 현장실험이 진행 중임에도 불구하고 지정작물의 중요성이나 역할이 명료하게 명시되어 있지 않다. 뿐만 아니라 지정 작물을 GM 작물로써 상업화하게 된 사유를 밝혀주는 공식적인 문서 또한 찾아 볼 수 없다. 이는 상업화의 경제적 타당성과 정책 사이에 큰 격차가 있다는 것을 시사하고, 상업화의 성공률을 감소시킬 수 있다. 이런 상황에서 말라위의 BT 목화 상업화는 내년부터 시행될 전망이다. 아직까지 상업화가 시작되지 않은 시점에서 현실적으로 가장 시급한 부분은 GM 작물의 역할을 관련 정책에 반영함으로써 상업화의 타당성 및 정부의 역할을 명료하게 하는 것이다. 또한 BT 목화 상업화 시작점과 다른 작물 (예: BT 동부콩) 상업화 시작점 사이에 적당한 기간을 두면서 BT 목화 상업화 과정에서 나타난 장 ‧ 단점을 파악할 시간을 확보함으로써, 현장 실험이 아닌 상업화에서 발생할 수 있는 다양한 경제적 문제를 파악하고 이에 대한 해결책을 모색해야 한다. 이런 절차가 이루어졌을 시 농민들이 GM 작물과 상업화의 필요성을 인식할 수 있고, 나아가 정부와 지역사회 사이의 책무성을 강화함으로써 향후 말라위의 장기적 발전에 기여할 수 있을 것이다.

유전자조작벼 상용화의 법적 문제

김은진 한국경영법률학회 2017 經營法律 Vol.27 No.2

In 2015, Rural Development Administration(RDA), one of our government, announced the plan of commercializing genetically modified rice(GM rice). After then, there were lots of public protests. Even though RDA explained GM rice would be used not for agricultural use but for industrial use, public still worried about potential risk of GM rice. There are some reasons. Firstly, rice is our major crop. 54% of crop land in the country is rice paddy and rice is main food. Secondly, GM rice in issue is 2nd generation GM with special function. Until now, GM crops are connected with agricultural chemicals. In future, GM crops move to functional crop, such as rice containing improved resveratrol as active ingredients. Thirdly, it is the first approval of producing GM crop in the country. Therefore, we must prepare more specific standard before producing GM rice. There is no general guideline for socio-economic consideration of GM crops. However, guidelines for socio-economic consideration are prepared if we have a plan to produce GMOs because producing GM crops is totally different from importing, In addition, not only health but also agricultural and environmental safety assessment is included in guideline, as well. 그동안 GMO는 안전성에 관한 우려가 많았음에도 불구하고 국내에서 직접 생산하지 않았기 때문에 수입GMO를 사용하는 가공식품 등에서 문제가 되어왔다. 그러나 2015년 9월 농촌진흥청이 GM벼 상용화 계획을 발표하면서 GMO에 대한 우려는 국내에서도 직접적인 문제가 되었다. 더욱이 지난 7월에는 산업용이라는 명분하에 화장품용 GM작물의 생산이 승인되었다. 아직까지 상품화하지는 않았지만 이미 상업적 생산이 승인된 만큼 곧 상품화가 이루어질 전망이다. 그 결과 국내에서는 많은 시민사회단체가 전국적인 조직까지 만들면서 GMO의 상용화를 반대하기에 이르렀다. 이런 논란은 이번 발표가 다음의 몇 가지 문제를 내포하고 있기 때문에 발생한다. 첫째, GMO 작물이 국민의 주곡인 벼이기 때문이다. 둘째, 상용화발표에 따른 GMO가 2세대로 일컬어지는 기능성이기 때문이다. 셋째, 재배용이 아니라 산업용이라는 이유로 안전성관리를 위한 절차가 생략되기 때문이다. 국민의 주곡은 섭취량이 많은 만큼 달리 취급해야 한다. 예컨대 바이오안전성의정서에서 정하고 있는 사회/경제적 고려는 이런 점에서 단순히 ‘고려’대상이 아니라 적극적인 심사항목이 되어야 한다. 이는 앞으로 벼뿐만 아니라 밀 등의 주곡에서는 더욱 중요한 문제가 될 것이다. 또한 기농성 GMO에 적합한 안전성평가방식도 필요하다. 지금까지의 안전성평가는 1세대를 대상으로 하는 것으로 주로 농약과 관련한 것이었다. 그러나 기능성은 농약과 직접적인 관련이 있는 것이 아니라 그 효능에 초점을 맞춘 것이기 때문에 그에 적합한 안전성평가방식이 마련되어야 한다. 마지막으로 산업용을 재배용과 구분하여 안전성관리를 하는 것 역시 개선되어야 한다. 이미 실험과정에서도 얼마든지 유출이 가능하다는 것이 밝혀진 이상 산업용이 노지 재배용이 아니라는 이유로 노지재배에 필요한 절차가 생략되어서는 안된다. GMO와 관련하여 가장 중요한 것은 안전성관리이다. 기존의 안전성관리제도로는 현재 상용화의 대상이 된 GM벼, 즉, 기능성이며, 주곡이며, 또한 직접 생산용인 GM작물을 관리하는 데 한계가 있다. 따라서 이에 맞는 안전성관리제도가 전제되어야 한다. 안전에 관한 확신이 없는 과학기술과 그 결과물에 대한 관리는 아무리 철저히 해도 장기간의 영향을 예측하기 어렵다. 따라서 GM벼 역시 그에 관한 관리제도가 선행될 때까지 상용화를 중단해야 한다.

실질적 동등성에 근거한 유전자변형 벼의 안전성 평가

조영규(Youngkyu Cho),이정호(Jeongho Lee),윤태현(Taehyun Yun),조용민(Yongmin Jo),오선우(Seonwoo Oh),주용성(Yongsung Joo) 한국자료분석학회 2023 Journal of the Korean Data Analysis Society Vol.25 No.6

유전자변형작물은 기존 작물과 비교하여 비의도적 변화 여부 및 실질적 동등성을 확인하기 위해 상업적 이용 전에 안전성 평가 심사 승인을 받아야 한다. ‘실질적 동등성’에 기반한 안전성 평가는 GM 작물과 비교작물을 비교하는 단계적 접근 방법으로 수행하는데, 이는 평가하고자 하는 항목에서 비교작물 간에 통계적 차이 혹은 자연변이 범위 내에서의 동등성을 확인하여 판단한다. 예를 들어 안전성 평가항목에서 GM 작물과 대조작물 간에 통계적 유의한 차이가 있는 것으로 확인되면 시중에 유통되고 있는 상업화 품종과 비교해서 이들 성분의 함량 범위 내에 포함되는지를 추가적으로 분석하여 자연변이 접근법으로 동등성을 판단하고 결론한다. 추가 분석에서도 GM 작물의 특이성이 발견된 경우, 생물학적 또는 독성학적 분석이 진행된다. 본 논문에서는 현재 GM 작물의 실질적 동등성 평가에서 사용되고 있는 다양한 통계 방법들을 비교 정리하였다. 실질적 동등성 평가를 위한 통계기법 연구를 위해 해충저항성 유전자변형 벼와 비교작물의 성분분석 자료, 농촌진흥청 작물성분 DB 자료를 이용한 분석을 진행하였다. GM 작물의 실질적 동등성 평가는 영양성분을 비롯하여 독성, 알레르기성, 영양성 등의 평가항목에서 수행된다. 본 연구에서는 벼의 안전성 평가항목 데이터로 통계분석을 수행하였으며, 분석 결과와 이론적 내용을 통합하여 실질적 동등성 평가방법의 개선점을 발굴하고 합리적인 통계분석 방법을 제시하였다. Genetically modified crops must undergo safety evaluation approval before commercial use, ensuring substantial equivalence compared to conventional crops. Safety assessment based on 'substantial equivalence' involves a stepwise approach, comparing GM crops with their non-GM counterparts, examining statistical differences or equivalence within the natural variability range for the desired attributes. For instance, if statistically significant differences are observed in safety test items between GM and control crops, additional analysis compares them to the commercially available varieties to determine inclusion within their compositional range. Further analysis involves biological or toxicological assessments if difference between GM crops and others are identified. Using data from insect-resistant genetically modified rice and its non-GM counterpart, available in the Rural Development Administration's crop component database, we applied statistical methods for substantial equivalence assessment. The substantial equivalence assessment of GM crops covers various evaluation aspects, including toxicological, allergenic, and nutritional attributes. In this study, statistical analysis was performed on rice's nutritional component data, integrating the results with theoretical contents.

National Program for Developing Biotech Crops in Korea

( Sung-han Park ),( Jung-il Cho ),( Youn-shic Kim ),( Su-min Kim ),( Su-mi Lim ),( Gang-seob Lee ),( Soo-chul Park ) 한국육종학회 2018 Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Vol.6 No.3

Global area of genetically modified crops (GM crops or biotech crops) continued to grow and reached 189.8 million hectares in 2017. Recently, a total of 24 countries approved GM crops for planting and an additional 43 countries formally imported biotech crops for food, feed, and processing, meaning that biotech crops are now commonly accepted in those countries. Although biotech crops should be one of key solutions for the challenge of the global food security which will be caused by population growth and climate change, it is real that there are still some debates to accept biotech crops in many countries including Korea. Because of that, safety assessment is an inevitable step for developing and commercializing GM crops. It is, therefore, very important to understand safety regulation. In addition to considering safety assessment, there are several critical points which we must consider before starting to produce GM crops such as target traits and their market values. In other words, passing safety regulation processing and proving market value should be considered first in the development of GM seeds. National Program for GM Crops (NCGC), one of the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Programs organized by RDA in South Korea, was established in 2011 to develop biotech crops that will be used in the future to solve problems in our agriculture. To accomplish this mission, the NCGC carried out the exploration of useful functional genes, development of qualified events, and the safety assessment of developed events. This report will present the results of our research to develop useful biotech crops.

The study on the factors affecting trade growth in modern biotech crops: An evidence from constant market share analysis

송우용,성봉석 한국유통경영학회 2011 유통경영학회지 Vol.14 No.6

This paper investigates the factors that have increased trade of GM soybean and GM corn between major export and import countries based on their trade performances, from 1996 (the first year the crops were cultivated commercially) to 2009, by conducting constant market share analysis (CMSA). According to the results of CMSA, the commodity composition effects are twisted, showing the negative (1996-2003) and positive (2003-2009) results in GM soybean trade, and vice versa in GM corn trade. However, in total, both increase in the exporting countries' competitiveness and demand expansion in importing countries led to trade growth of GM soybean and GM corn between the countries on a bilateral base except in a few cases. The reasons behind the increase seem to be a combination of the followings: cost-saving farming and productivity enhancement of GM crops led by GM technique, pro-biotech policies by the major exporting countries, social acceptance formed spontaneously within the importing countries and bounded social acceptance led by the international institutional context, Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. This paper investigates the factors that have increased trade of GM soybean and GM corn between major export and import countries based on their trade performances, from 1996 (the first year the crops were cultivated commercially) to 2009, by conducting constant market share analysis (CMSA). According to the results of CMSA, the commodity composition effects are twisted, showing the negative (1996-2003) and positive (2003-2009) results in GM soybean trade, and vice versa in GM corn trade. However, in total, both increase in the exporting countries' competitiveness and demand expansion in importing countries led to trade growth of GM soybean and GM corn between the countries on a bilateral base except in a few cases. The reasons behind the increase seem to be a combination of the followings: cost-saving farming and productivity enhancement of GM crops led by GM technique, pro-biotech policies by the major exporting countries, social acceptance formed spontaneously within the importing countries and bounded social acceptance led by the international institutional context, Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

국내 생태계에서 주요 GM작물과 근연종 간의 자연 교잡 가능성

육민정,김도순 한국잔디학회 2022 Weed & Turfgrass Science Vol.11 No.4

Natural hybridization between genetically modified (GM) crops and their relatives is the first gateway for introgression to the ecosystem and consequent environmental risk. Therefore, we review the related information on transgene flow from GM crops to their relatives in the Korean ecosystem, such as introduced traits, reproductive characteristics, endemic relatives, and the gene flow occurrence of major GM crops. Besides non-GM cultivars, wild soybean, seven Brassicaceae species, and weedy rice are distributed nationwide in Korea. The maximum gene flow rate from GM to wild soybean was reported at 0.292%. The maximum gene flow rates from GM oilseed rape to Brassica juncea and Brassica rapa were 0.076% and 1.2%, respectively. The hybridization rate from GM to weedy rice was generally less than 0.05% but ranged up to 4.2%. Because there are no wild or weedy relatives of GM maize and cotton in Korea, the gene flow to their relatives is expected to be relatively low. Our review suggests that the transgenes of GM soybean, oilseed rape, and rice can be introgressed into their cultivated, wild or weedy relatives by pollen-mediated gene flow, and may persist in the ecosystem depending on the fitness of the hybrid progenies. 본 연구는 주요 GM작물의 유전자이동에 의한 환경위해성에 대한 이해와 관리 전략 수립을 위한 정보를 제공하고자수행되었으며, 세계 4대 GM작물인 콩, 유채, 옥수수, 면화 및 국내 주곡 작물인 벼의 도입형질, 생식 특성, 교잡가능 근연종 및 국내 분포하는 근연종과의 교잡율 등에 관한 자료를 수집·분석하여 고찰하였다. 콩은 국내 원산인 작물로서 일년생 야생종인 돌콩이 전국적으로 자생하고 있으며, 국내 포장조건에서 GM콩과 돌콩 간 교잡은 최대 0.292%이었다. GM 유채는 종간 교잡이 가능한 갓, 양배추 및 배추와 속간 교잡이 가능한 모래냉이, 소래풀, 서양무아재비 및 무 등 7종의근연종이 국내에서 재배 또는 자생한다. 국내 농업환경 조건에서 수행한 실험에서 GM유채와 근연종 간 최대 교잡율은 갓, 배추에서 각각 0.076% 및 1.2%에 달하였다. GM벼는 교잡이 가능한 재배벼가 광범위하게 재배되고 있으며, 잡초성벼가 자생한다. 야외 포장에서 GM벼로부터 잡초성 벼(앵미)로의 유전자 이동율은 대체로 0.05% 미만이었으나, 최대4.2%의 교잡율이 보고되기도 하였다. GM옥수수 및 면화는 국내에 교잡 가능한 야생 근연종이 분포하지 않으므로 상대적으로 유전자이동에 의한 생태계 침투 가능성이 낮을 것으로 예상된다. 종합적으로 GM콩, GM유채, GM벼의 경우 도입유전자가 국내 생태계에 분포하는 근연 재배종, 야생종 또는 잡초종으로 이동 가능하며, 교잡후대종의 적응성에 따라 국내 생태계에 지속할 가능성이 있음을 시사한다.

글로벌 GM작물 연구개발 및 상업화 동향

조정일,이강섭,박수철 한국식물생명공학회 2016 JOURNAL OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY Vol.43 No.2

Global GM crops continue to grow. They have reached 181 million hectares. A total of 28 countries have approved biotech crops for planting. More than 60 countries have approved biotech crops to be imported as food and feed since 1996, meaning that biotech crops are now commonly accepted in those countries. Although biotech crops provide key solutions for the challenge of global food security in the future due to population growth and climate change, there are still some debates on whether biotech crops should be accepted in many countries including Korea. Therefore, it is very important to make people understand that GM crops will provide benefits to both farmers and consumers. In this review, current global status of GM crop development and commercialization are summarized.