Legal Study on Republic of Korea’s Groundwater Law: A Possible Model for Developing Thai Groundwater Law

Abstract

Groundwater is a kind of water that is part of the earth's water cycle and is used in a wide range of human activities. Groundwater management is primarily based on the global idea of groundwater governance, which is enshrined in the groundwater laws of many countries. This notion is evident in the Republic of Korea's groundwater legislation, which provides for groundwater management and control and might be used as a model for constructing Thailand's groundwater law. Although Thailand has enacted and long enforced its own Groundwater Act B.E. 2520, it is likely to be hampered by rapidly changing circumstances; accordingly, exploring the concept of Republic of Korea's groundwater law would mostly encourage Thai legislators to understand and crystalize their own idea for developing and updating Thai groundwater law. The research’s findings were revealed through an outstanding analysis of Korean groundwater law based on the same groundwater use contexts and legal system as Thailand. This model would be potentially applied in terms of scope of underground water utilization, groundwater use license, groundwater use control, and groundwater conservation and development, so as to provide recommendations which would keep Thai groundwater law up-to-date and improve its efficiency in accordance with groundwater governance.