South Korea Beekeeping Climate Change Crisis
Analysis based on 7 articles · First reported Jun 03, 2026 · Last updated Jun 04, 2026
The decline in bee populations in South Korea due to climate change directly impacts the agricultural sector, particularly honey production and crops reliant on pollination, potentially leading to increased food prices and reduced agricultural output. The government's investment through the South Korea — Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (South Korea) and the South Korea — Rural Development Administration aims to mitigate these negative effects, but the long-term outlook remains challenging for beekeepers like Park Gyeong-je.
Climate change is severely impacting beekeeping in South Korea, with rising temperatures shortening flower seasons, causing premature blooms, and bringing strong winds that disorient bees. This has led to a 70% decrease in honey harvests for migratory beekeepers like Park Gyeong-je, who has been in the business for nearly five decades. The total bee forage area in South Korea has decreased by 70% since the 1970s-1980s, and the number of migratory beekeeping hives fell by 14% from 2014 to 2023. Researchers from Kangwon National University warn that pollination activity could plunge by over 50% by 2060. The South Korea — Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (South Korea) is investing 48.6 billion won ($32.3 million) in research to restore bee health, and the South Korea — Rural Development Administration plans to breed stronger bees and implement 'smart beekeeping' technologies. Despite these efforts, the fundamental substructure of the ecosystem is being destroyed, threatening food supply and the livelihoods of beekeepers.
Set up alerts, explore entity relationships, search across thousands of events, and build custom intelligence feeds.
Open Dashboard