Policy and status of light pollution management in Korea

Light pollution is emerging as one of the most rapidly increasing types of environmental degradation. Many localities have developed regulations to constrain the use of excessive light. Recently, the government of Korea has enacted and executed the Light Pollution Prevention Act' for the proper management of light pollution. This paper reviews the background and the main contents of the Act as well as the current status of light pollution in Korea. By this Act, a Light Pollution Prevention Committee' is established and the designation of environmental zones and the light emission standards for these zones are given. The contents of this study will be useful as a guideline for developing countries preparing light pollution management plans.