Bukhansan (Korea National Park Service)

Seven national parks across South Korea have been found to absorb approximately 2 million tons of greenhouse gases annually -- equivalent to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by 147,000 Korean nationals per year. As of 2021, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted annually per citizen is 13.1 tons.

According to a report released Thursday by the Korea National Park Service, part of the Ministry of Environment, the parks -- Seoraksan, Odaesan, Taebaeksan, Sobaeksan, Chiaksan, Bukhansan and Taean Coast – collectively absorb 1.92 million tons of greenhouse gases each year. On average, the parks absorb 14.33 tons of greenhouse gases per hectare.

The Korea National Park Service estimated that the social costs saved through this absorption amount to approximately 127.8 billion ($92 million), using a calculation of the social cost of carbon based on US estimates. The survey results were submitted to the British Standards Institution for cross-validation.

The Korea National Park Service plans to finishing verifying the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed by all 23 national parks, including Hallasan, by next year.