Korea Forest Service

What Korea Forest Service does

The Korea Forest Service (산림청) is the central administrative agency of the Republic of Korea responsible for national forest policy, management, and protection, established in 1967 and headquartered in Daejeon. It executes the full lifecycle of forest stewardship — conservation, wildfire and disaster response, public recreation, forest welfare, education, wood industry quality control, carbon registry, and international cooperation — through five regional forest bureaus and eleven wholly-owned operating subsidiaries including the Korea National Arboretum, the National Institute of Forest Science, Forest Aviation Headquarters, the Forest Education Center, and the National Recreation Forest Management Office. Its user constituencies span South Korean citizens (recreation, trails, forest welfare programs), schools and youth (forest education), foresters and the wood industry (regulatory compliance, supply data), other central and local government agencies (interagency wildfire and disaster coordination), and international bodies such as FAO, ITTO, UNEP, and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization.

The agency delivers services through a portfolio of dedicated digital platforms: the Forest Trip reservation system (foresttrip.go.kr) for national forest, arboretum, and campsite booking; the Forest Education Portal (edu.forest.go.kr) for program discovery, certification applications, and specialist training across 574+ programs; the Forest Geographic Information System (FGIS) for spatial forest data; the National Wildfire Information System and ICT Wildfire Command System for real-time fire detection and suppression coordination; the Landslide Information System; the Forest Carbon Registry; the Forest Product Distribution Information system for market prices and supply chains; and the Wood Information Service for timber quality standards. Additional public-facing assets include reservation-based access to 19 km of UNESCO royal tomb forest trails managed jointly with Korea Heritage Service, high-utilization sites like Hannam Saryeoni Oreum Forest (~30,000 visitors in 2025), weekly arboretum cultural day programs, and the annual Forest Food Festival at Gwanghwamun Square. The agency has also opened limited forestry public data and run an AI/open-innovation contest to encourage third-party product development on its data assets.

The agency's business model is budget-funded rather than commercially revenue-driven. Primary funding flows through Korean government national budget allocations covering forest management, conservation, wildfire prevention, and public recreation. Ancillary income streams include usage-based fees for recreation facilities and arboretum access, transaction-based revenue from seasonal forest product sales (wild herbs, mushrooms, mountain delicacies) via festival markets and e-commerce partnerships, freemium/unit-priced fees on the Forest Education Portal, and emerging data/AI services provided through public data opening initiatives. Go-to-market is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer reservation platforms, interagency partnerships (Ministry of the Interior and Safety on wildfire response; Korea Heritage Service on royal tomb trails; Korea Forestry Promotion Institute on the Forest Food Festival), event-driven public engagement, international forums (UN Forum on Forests), and outbound cooperation through bilateral projects with countries such as Kyrgyzstan.

Name

Korea Forest Service

Legal name

Korea Forest Service (산림청)

Website

https://forest.go.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Korea Forest Service (산림청) is the central administrative agency of the Republic of Korea, established in 1967 and headquartered in Daejeon, responsible for national forest policy, conservation, wildfire response, public recreation, forest welfare education, wood industry regulation, and carbon registry. It serves South Korean citizens, schools, the forestry and wood industry, other government agencies, and international organizations through a portfolio of digital platforms and physical forest facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Forest Management Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Administration of Conservation Programs (924120)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Forest Health & Fire Management Planning (AFAMAEAK), Timberland GIS, Remote Sensing & Data Analytics (AFAMAKAG), Forest Health & Protection Services (Pest/Disease, Invasive Species) (IMAMAJAF)

Keywords

• Forest management services
• Wildfire prevention systems
• Forest recreation services
• Forest education programs
• Forest geographic information

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon (대전)

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: Primary funding through Korean government national budget allocations for forest management, conservation, wildfire prevention, and public recreation services
2. Forest Product Sales: Direct sales of seasonal forest products including wild herbs, mushrooms, and other mountain delicacies through festival markets and e-commerce platforms
3. Public Service Fees: Fees collected for forest recreation facilities including natural recreation forests, arboretum entry, and forest education programs
4. Data Services and Licensing: Public data opening and forestry statistics services; AI and data-driven innovation projects through open innovation contests

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Korea Forest Service is a central government agency that administers national forest resources, delivers public forest recreation and education services, operates forest disaster prevention and geographic information systems, and regulates forest industries across the Republic of Korea. Its deliverable offerings include forest recreation reservation services, forest education programs, wildfire risk forecasting and response coordination, and national forest geographic data services.

Product overview

Korea Forest Service operates a portfolio of web-based portals and information systems focused on forest management, public recreation, and environmental education. The core offerings include the Forest Trip reservation platform (숲나들e) for nature recreation bookings and the Forest Education Portal (숲교육포털) for program management. Supporting systems include FGIS for spatial data, wildfire and landslide disaster management systems, the Forest Carbon Registry, and forest product distribution platforms. The service architecture is multi-platform with separate portals for different user constituencies (general public, educators, forest industry, government agencies) rather than a unified product with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 숲교육포털 (Forest Education Portal): Online portal for forest education programs, providing information about forest education services, programs, and certification systems operated by the Korea Forest Service.
• Forest Trip

Products and services

• Forest Trip (forest recreation reservation service) Centralized online reservation platform that enables the general public to book forest recreation accommodations, courses, and programs at Korea Forest Service-managed recreation forests, arboreta, and forest therapy sites.
• Forest Education Portal Public education service providing forest learning content, program bookings, and educator resources for students, teachers, and citizens seeking structured forest education experiences.
• National Wildfire Information System Operational information system supporting wildfire detection, status tracking, and information sharing for national wildfire response coordination.
• Wildfire Risk Forecast Service Public and inter-agency service providing wildfire risk forecasts and risk-level information to support preparedness and response decisions.
• Landslide Information System Information service providing landslide hazard warnings and situational data to the public and partner agencies.
• ICT Wildfire Command System Operational command system supporting wildfire incident command through integrated ICT tools for coordination and decision-making during wildfire response.
• Forest Geographic Information System (FGIS) Authoritative national forest geographic information platform providing spatial data, maps, and related services for agencies, researchers, and the public.
• Forest Carbon Registry Registry service for forest carbon units, supporting carbon inventory, registration, and reporting functions for policy and partner agencies.
• Wood Information Service (Winz) Information service providing wood and forest product market data and analytics for forest industry operators and the public.
• Forest Product Distribution Information System Information service supporting forest product distribution data and traceability for forest industry operators.
• Forest Licensing and Certification (cigarettes, ginseng, and forest products) Statutory licensing and certification services for forest products, including the issuance of stamp duties on cigarettes and ginseng, supporting regulated forest product markets.
• Walk-on-the-Forest and Forest Therapy Programs Public wellness programs delivered through Korea Forest Service-managed recreation forests and arboreta, providing guided forest walking and forest therapy experiences for citizens.

Quantifiable outcome

• UN Global Restoration Model recognition for Uljin wildfire recovery project covering 1,013 hectares
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Korea Forest Service participates in FAO-led international forest cooperation initiatives, including discussions on the UN Strategic Plan for Forests. The agency co-hosted side events with FAO on sustainable wood use challenges and receives international feedback on forest policy proposals.
• ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Co-hosted side event with FAO and ITTO at UN Forum on Forests to discuss challenges around sustainable wood use, representing Korea's commitment to international timber sustainability standards.
• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Met with UNEP representatives to gather international feedback on Korea's proposal for establishing an International Day of Sustainable Wood, supporting global environmental policy coordination.
• Asian Forest Cooperation OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Cooperation with Asian Forest Cooperation Organization on managing large-scale forest fires, sharing Korea's expertise in wildfire prevention and response systems across the Asian region.
• Korea Heritage ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint operation of specialized forest trails around UNESCO-listed royal tombs. The seasonal access program (through June 30) balances public demand for nature retreats with strict preservation requirements of sovereign heritage sites.
• Ministry of the Interior and SafetycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Implementing joint interagency comprehensive wildfire plan with the Ministry to strengthen coordination across multiple government bodies for spring wildfire response during dry weather conditions.
• Korea Forestry Promotion InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint launch of 2026 Forest Food Festival at Gwanghwamun Square, promoting Korean forest products and providing economic support to regional foresters through direct trade and e-commerce.
• Kyrgyzstan Government DelegationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Forest cooperation project discussions with Kyrgyz government delegation, advancing bilateral forest policy exchange and cooperation initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USDA Forest Service: U.S. national forestry agency managing federal forests, wildfire response, and recreation. Most directly comparable to Korea Forest Service as a central government forestry authority with multi-mandate responsibilities including wildfire command, GIS-based forest management, and recreation.
• Forestry Commission (UK): UK's national forestry authority regulating forestry, managing public forests, and advising on timber standards. Comparable to Korea Forest Service in its regulatory, woodland management, and public recreation mandate.
• Swedish Forest Agency: Sweden's national authority for forestry policy, sustainable forest management, and timber regulation. Comparable to Korea Forest Service in regulating timber quality and managing national forest assets.
• Natural Resources Canada - Canadian Forest Service: Canada's federal forestry authority focused on forest science, wildfire research, and sustainable forest management. Comparable to Korea Forest Service in combining research, wildfire response, and national-scale forest policy.
• Japan Forestry Agency: Japan's national forestry authority within the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Comparable as an East Asian peer agency with similar scope across forest policy, timber industry oversight, and disaster response.
• State Forestry and Grassland Administration of China: China's central forestry and grassland authority overseeing national forest policy, restoration programs, and wildlife conservation. Comparable to Korea Forest Service as a regional peer managing national forest policy and large-scale restoration.

Regional players

• Te Uru Rākau - New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (Forestry): New Zealand's forestry directorate within the Ministry for Primary Industries, overseeing plantation forestry, biosecurity, and forest policy. Comparable in regulatory and forest industry oversight scope, though serving a different geography.

Emerging players

• Korea National Park Service: Korean government agency managing national parks and protected natural areas. Comparable to Korea Forest Service as a domestic peer agency handling public nature recreation, trails, and ecosystem stewardship, with overlapping visitor constituencies.

Broad incumbents

• German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Forestry Division): Germany's federal ministry covering forestry as part of a broader agriculture and food portfolio. Comparable as a national-level forestry policy authority, though broader in mandate than Korea Forest Service.
• FAO Forestry Division: UN Food and Agriculture Organization's global forestry division setting international forest policy. Comparable as a policy and cooperation partner that Korea Forest Service actively engages with on sustainable wood and fire management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/forest_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBZxglYCbIkkvw1CAAJhOVw
• Facebookfacebook.com/forestkorea
• Instagraminstagram.com/forest_korea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koreaforestservice-intl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Korea Forest Service