In July 2011, the Ministry of Environment stipulated high-level assessments that were subjected to existing pre-project environmental reviews as Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments. Legally, Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment reviews the...
In July 2011, the Ministry of Environment stipulated high-level assessments that were subjected to existing pre-project environmental reviews as Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments. Legally, Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment reviews the appropriateness of relevant plans and validity of locations from the perspective of environment by checking the compatibility of environmental protection plans and establishing/analyzing alternatives. In addition, it is subjected to policy planning and basic development plans. In August 2010, the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs introduced a land planning assessment system by amending basic land laws, and it required a self-review of compatibility with comprehensive land planning and basic ideas of land management(eco-friendly, etc) when establishing ``medium to long-term/guideline natured planning.`` The purpose, language, and contents of the two law`s amendments are different, but when the subjects of assessment and eventual implementation purposes are considered, they take the form of Strategic Environmental Assessments which has been discussed thus far. These amendments also show the need for close cooperation between government departments and express concerns regarding problems of overlapping assessment. Moreover, they suggest the need for further research and discussion to stabilize the system due to lack of discussion between government departments regarding assessment methods. This study aims to provide a forum for discussing Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology to find ways of establishing reasonable land/regional planning. The study placed its focus on establishing alternatives and their assessment methodologies, and in the case of establishing alternatives, the focus was placed on.spatial structure design,. which directly impacts changes in land use. To achieve its objectives, this study: 1) analyzed the operational status and conditions of Strategic Environmental Assessment, 2) analyzed the trends of spatial planning and case studies of Strategic Environmental Assessment techniques, 3) provided discussions concerning Strategic Environmental Assessment methodology based on spatial environmental planning, 4) applied case studies of Strategic Environmental Assessment methods, and 5) differentiated policy improvements measures.