With such problems, the importance of precautionary environmental
management policies was emphasized continuously in Korea
during the 1990s due to the increasingly complex and diverse environmental
problems faced during the initiation of large-scale national
development projects, including the Saemangeum reclamation project
and the Seoul Outer Circular Expressway project. In particular, social
demands for the implementation of SEA grew rapidly. In order to meet
such demands, the government established its policy direction for
implementing SEA by enhancing the objectives and expertise of PERS.
Accordingly, in 2004, the Korean government amended the Framework Act on Environmental Policy,which is the legal basis of PERS, in order to
evaluate the environmental effects of policies, plans, and programs
(PPPs) affecting the initial stages of development. The amendment was
approved by the National Assembly in May 2005, and came into effect in
June 2006 (MOE, 2007a).