Mapping the characteristics and extent of environmental conflicts related to land use is important for developing regionally specific policies. However, because it is only possible to verify the frequency of conflicts on a specific predetermined subject, it is difficult to determine the various reasons for conflicts in a region. Therefore, this study mapped the current status of regional environmental conflicts in South Korea using a spatial text mining technique, then proposed relevant management policies. The results were obtained by analyzing environmental conflict data extracted from the online agendas of regional environmental organizations. Air quality-related conflicts in South Korea are concentrated in western municipalities; development-related conflicts are concentrated in the southern region of Jeju Island; and intensive safety-related conflicts occur in metropolitan areas, particularly Ulsan. Thus, the type of conflict is determined by the local environment, in accordance with the definition of environmental conflict, and the distribution is determined by the location of the stakeholder population. This study reveals the issues and locations related to local environmental conflict that require further attention, and proposes more wide-ranging methods for managing the links between conflicts by mapping environmental conflicts on a large scale rather than on an individual basis.

The aim of this study was to better identify the information generated by citizens and to explore the regional social phenomenon whereby higher quality urban services focused on understanding regional issues are promoted. Citizens voluntarily and continuously communicate with local government both online and offline. We wanted to determine how civic information can be applied to urban planning. We selected Shiheung City, Republic of Korea, as our study area, as the city is formed of various types of land use: industrial areas, agricultural land, and residential areas. This area is facing developmental pressure with released development-restricted areas, and has been environmentally damaged by industrial complexes. We conducted a semantic network analysis of the top 10% most commonly used nouns in civil complaints to determine the keywords. Each thematic map we created was based on geographical information to explain the temporary, continuous, and chronic issues. The chronic problems were discussed in relation to the regional development process. The process of identifying and analyzing local issues by analyzing information voluntarily provided by citizens plays an important role in government-led urban management planning and policy formation and can contribute to decision making in the development of future urban policies.