Preemptive Management of Invasive Alien Species via Statutory Designation in South Korea: A Review Centered on the 2026 Legal Listing of Anoplophora horsfieldii

ABSTRACT

The increasing globalization of trade and transportation has accelerated the introduction of alien species, resulting in growing ecological and social concerns. To identify and manage potentially invasive species, South Korea has implemented an ecological risk assessment system under the Act on the Conservation and Use of Biological Diversity . In 2024, the National Institute of Ecology assessed alien species and, based on these results, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment designated Anoplophora horsfieldii as a legally managed species in 2026. This review delineates the systematic framework of ecological risk assessment and subsequent legal designation protocols for invasive alien species within the South Korean regulatory context. By analyzing the current status of insect species across both statutory categories, this review compares management pathways at different invasion stages and assesses how international eradication programs inform operational requirements for the newly designated species. The 2026 designation of A. horsfieldii as a Species with Potential Risks to the Ecosystem represents a proactive intervention to suppress the expansion of populations currently localized within conservation areas to the mainland. As the first species listed on ecological rather than industrial grounds and the only one already present in the wild, its designation makes field‐management provisions—previously of limited relevance to this category—directly applicable. This early‐stage intervention establishes the statutory authority to mitigate invasion before they become irreversible. The integration of scientific risk assessment into national legal management underscores the imperative for a proactive response and sustained monitoring of high‐risk alien species to prevent future ecological and socioeconomic impacts.