Tropical Insects on Korean Shores Signal Climate Change
Rising Presence of Tropical and Subtropical Insects in South Korea Recent discoveries of new insect species on domestic islands have revealed a significant shift in the ecological landscape of the Korean Peninsula. More than half of these newly identified insects are classified as "tropical and subtropical," indicating a rapid transition from a temperate to a tropical and subtropical climate. The Honam National Institute of Biological Resources shared this information on the 19th, stating that between 2021 and 2024, out of 45 unrecorded insect species discovered through initiatives like the "Island and Coastal Bioresource Survey and Discovery Project," 25 were tropical or subtropical insects. The remaining 20 species were categorized as temperate or cold-climate insects. "Unrecorded species" refer to those that are known to exist in other countries but have been found for the first time in South Korea. This classification highlights the growing diversi...