유전자변형 식물체 연구에서의 안전관리 고찰

Safety management of living modified plants: A review

There is a continuous rise in the commer- cialization of living modified (LM) organisms worldwide. While LM plants have not yet been cultivated in South Korea, research, development, import of products, and registration of related research facilities are progressing. LM plants should be tested in greenhouses and fields during development. Furthermore, environmental risk assessment and safety management should be performed before their release into the environment. Research on LM plant develop- ment is conducted in laboratories as well as confined green- houses and fields. Safety management regulations are pro- vided as combination standards for the LMO Act in each research district. The accidental release of the LM petunia in Japan was a significant incident related to LM plant research. It implies that normal plants within the distance of crossing should be regarded as LM plants. In the United States, LM creeping bentgrass was released into the environment, thus necessitating the establishment of stringent measures to prevent the scattering of LM plant seeds by wind or other mediums. In South Korea, LM Zoysia and LM cotton were released through rainwater. Therefore, safety measures that prevent LM seed mixing and plant vegetative propagules escaping into the environment via rainwater must be established. Preventing the dispersal of unapproved LM plants requires significant time, expenditure, and effort. Researchers should first identify the impact of LM plants on the ecosystem, and steps to avert their environmental release must be implemented.