5.3. Link to a wider sustainability assessment
The main function of the now internationally popular Sustainability
Assessment (SA) is to ensure a balance between the environment
and the economy (Gibson et al., 2005; Sadler, 2006). Environmental
Assessment (EA) is an institutional procedure, which assesses the
environmental impacts of a project or plan for socio-economic benefits,
before it begins. Thus, EA helps to prevent unsustainable development
(Stinchcombe and Gibson, 2001; Fischer, 2003). However, the current
Korean EA system is mainly centered on detailed and specific opinions
on bio-physical environmental impacts, which decision-makers find
hard to comprehend. As Partidario (2000) indicated, EA, especially SEA,
should be understood within the wider boundary of the sustainable
development principle and should not be focused entirely on physical
and ecological issues. Current EIA reports and reviews are not easily
adapted to a wider set of sustainable development indicators (SDIs).
Therefore, efforts to link EA to SDIs need to be made in order to
strengthen EA (Fig. 5).