Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers ISSN:2288-0291(Print) 2288-2790(Online) 한국자원공학회지

In Korea, architectural rock development is managed under the Mountain Management Act and the Stone Industry Promotion Act. However, questions have been raised regarding the effectiveness of these laws in clearly defining rock resources, determining ownership forms, managing quarrying fees and environmental restoration costs, and supervising on-site operations. This study reviewed the structure, main contents, and issues of the domestic legal system related to architectural rock development and analyzed comparable systems in Japan, given its similar economic, industrial, and legal structures. Based on this comparative analysis, recommendations for improving Korea’s legal system include integrating the existing separate acts into a single comprehensive act, explicitly defining stone ownership and its timing, establishing property rights for stone mining, reviewing the introduction of exploration permits, adjusting the duration of stone mining rights, and concretization of the calculation criteria and procedures for collecting stone mining fees.