South Korea plans to designate the Demilitarized Zone as an international conservation area in the first half of next year.<br />The environment ministry said Thursday that it will host five rounds of policy forums until May, 2019 and lay out detailed plans to preserve the biodiversity in the region. <br />Although the DMZ accounts for only one-point-six percent of South Korea's total area, it is home to over 20 percent of the nation's bio-species. <br />
