Economic Value Assessment and Regional Utilization System of Quaternary Alluvial Aggregate Resources in Korea

This study integrates the results of the National Aggregate Resources Investigation (2007Investigation ( -2024) ) to quantify the reserves (approximately 9.93 billion m), developable amounts (approximately 2.45 billion m), and economic value (approximately 37.4 trillion KRW) of alluvial (river + land) aggregate resources across Korea, and to characterize the spatial mismatch between aggregate endowment and demand at the municipal level.A quadrant analysis comparing the survey data from 122 municipalities (covering 77.2% of the national alluvial deposit area) with 2018 ready-mixed concrete shipments reveals that 14 demand-dependent municipalities concentrate approximately 52% of total concrete demand yet possess virtually no alluvial aggregate reserves.Meanwhile, the share of alluvial aggregates in total extraction halved from 4.2% (2017) to 2.1% (2024), and the current supply structure-where crushed and screened aggregate and forest aggregates account for 89% of total production-entails structural uncertainties related to construction-cycle dependency and prolonged permitting processes.Although transport distance constraints (mean 6 km) preclude alluvial aggregates from serving as a broad-scale supply regulator, this study demonstrates that alluvial deposits in 20 potential-resource municipalities can function as local buffer resources within a 20-50 km service radius.These findings provide baseline data for regional-scale aggregate resource management under structural supply uncertainties.