The characteristic of fauna in South Korea follows the regional aspect that the nation is connected to the wider Eurasian continent, resulting, surviving mammals to also have continental elements.

[3] During the Japanese colonial era, vast number of wild fauna were poached leading some of the species to be threaten to potential extinction.

However, as part of the Korean annihilation policy of the Joseon Dynasty, Japanese hunters were invited to hunt tigers.

It is well known that tigers are originally the culmination of the food chain, yet, during this period of the time nearly 800 were hunted as the Japanese colonial rule, leading the species itself to face potential extinction.

The group of sea lions inhabited here are believed to have been extinct or moved to other places to avoid fishermen.

The habitat of wild forest has been damaged or cut off every year due to the development of roads and industrial complexes, and the total area of forests of 67,000 m2 is reduced annually by farmland, new city, industrial complex development.

[6] In addition, Korea is expected to suffer sustain warming and increased precipitation due to climate change.

It is estimated that after 2071, South Korea will enter the sub-tropical climate, with the exception of some high altitudes in Baekdudaegan.

Ecologically, Baekdu Mountain Alpine Zone and two large rivers isolate the Korean Peninsula from the continent.

Therefore, the isolation by Tuman and Yalu rivers from the Korean Peninsula shows that the percentage of endemic species of freshwater fish and insects to be high.

Various climatic changes and complex terrain have also contributed to the emergence of diverse ecosystems, which have led to greater biodiversity.

On the central part of the country where subalpine coniferous forests are present, mole, raccoon and wildcat widely exist.

On the southern part of the  country, bats, sea lion, dolphins and seal widely exist.

One of the unique aspect of South Korea's fauna environment is that they have a demilitarized zone.

DMZ has the most biodiversity in Korea in terms of distribution of mammals and algae, which is the peak of the natural ecosystem.

The DMZ is well developed with rivers and wetlands, and holds a variety of fish species and abundant populations.

It is home to a variety of species including endangered wild animals and plants, such as parasitic flowers, winged larks, and plum blossoms.

[13] In particular, maple leaves and pig grasses originating in North America are threatened by indigenous plant ecosystems.

These alien species were estimated to have been handed over to Korea by the US army at the time of the Korean War.