Ⅰ. Introduction
1. Background and aims of research
❏ Mid- to long-term socioeconomic changes are expected due to COVID-19.
ㅇ The spread of untact culture and the acceleration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
ㅇ Capacity to respond to disasters such as infectious diseases has emerged as a major indicator showing the nation’s capabilities.
❏ These socio-economic changes are expected to affect the field of environmental impact assessment.
ㅇ Changes in development plans and project patterns are expected.
ㅇ Environmental impact assessment will also be affected by non-face-to-face communication and technological development.
❏ Proposing new direction for the field of environmental assessment in line with the changing circumstances
ㅇ To analyze and predict the direct and indirect impact and ripple effect of changes caused by COVID-19 on the environment
ㅇ To suggest a direction for leading environmental assessment

2. Research method
❏ Data collection of Post-COVID-19 predictions (literature review)
❏ Conducted a survey among officials in the field of environmental impact assessment (154 people participated)
❏ Listened to the opinions of related experts and held several multi-disciplinary expert forums

Ⅱ. The COVID-19 Pandemic and Future Social Changes
1. The spread of and response to COVID-19
❏ COVID-19 has been spreading worldwide up until now since the first confirmed case was identified in December 2019.
❏ New types of infectious diseases and viral variants are spreading faster in line with urbanization, globalization, and climate change.

2. Social and cultural changes caused by COVID-19
❏ Spread of untact culture
ㅇ As countermeasures against COVID-19 mainly consisted of minimizing contact, it led to the spread of non-face-to-face communication. The untact culture is expected to continue in the post-COVID-19 society with the development of ICT technology.
❏ Acceleration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
ㅇ As telecommuting and online classes become routine due to COVID-19, ICT technology related to this will further develop, which is expected to be an important opportunity to advance the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
❏ Changes in national awareness of crisis response capabilities
❏ Increased demand for social safety nets and response systems related to human security

3. Changes in development trends due to COVID-19
❏ Changes in development trends due to the spread of untact culture
ㅇ Indoor spaces less preferred due to higher risk of infection, and increase in demand for natural spaces in urban areas
❏ Changes in spatial plans to prevent infectious diseases
ㅇ Securing open space, wind paths, and moving routes for the prevention of infectious diseases is expected to emerge as a new issue in spatial planning.
ㅇ Creating a national environment that can prevent contact with wildlife that may carry infectious diseases

Ⅲ. Impact of COVID-19 on Environmental Assessment
1. Changes in conditions and methods of environmental impact assessment (international trends)
❏A survey conducted by the International Association for Impact Assessment(IAIA) on changes in the performance of environmental impact assessment since COVID-19
ㅇ Currently, the most affected part in the field of environmental impact assessment by COVID-19 is field work (73%), on which restrictions have been imposed.
ㅇ As changes in work conditions caused by COVID-19, respondents chose an increase in online meetings (93%) and telecommuting or flexible working (73%).
ㅇ Regarding the role of future environmental impact assessment, 34% answered that “it is necessary to promote integrated impact assessment taking a medical approach to social environment and health impacts.”

2. Impact of COVID-19 on domestic environmental impact assessment
❏ Survey among officials in the field of environmental impact assessment
ㅇ Regarding the impact of COVID-19 on their work, 70.1% said it was “affected.”
ㅇ Regarding the environmental impact assessment system in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era, they answered that “the system improvement to facilitate non-face-to-face procedures” is the top priority.
❏ Changes in the method of public hearings to respond to COVID-19
ㅇ Increase in utilization of videos, YouTube channels, and so on, compared to the existing face-to-face public hearings

Ⅳ. Strategy for Environment Assessment in Preparation for the Post-COVID-19 Society
1. Improvement of the system for non-face-to-face environmental assessment
❏ Improvement of procedures for public hearings and related systems to enable non-face-to-face communication (e.g., using various media)

2. Smart environmental assessment incorporating the Fourth Industrial Revolution technology
❏ Improve the process and system of environment assessment by utilizing technological advances such as metaverse, artificial intelligence, big data, and modeling

3. Shifting the direction for environmental assessment to reflect social culture and development trend
❏ Reflecting changes in spatial planning according to changes in development patterns
ㅇ Spatial planning (buffer zones, urban parks, wind paths, etc.) taking into account the prevention of infectious diseases
ㅇ Seek ways to avoid contact with wild animals
ㅇConsideration of the rapid increase in the development of logistics facilities in our living environment
ㅇ Issues related to the location of waste treatment facilities due to the increase in the use of disposable products and medical supplies
ㅇ Improvement of predictive models according to changes in development patterns
❏ A new concept of environmental damage management
ㅇ Identifying assessment items that cause new environmental issues such as climate crisis, new infectious diseases, disasters, and dismantling
ㅇConsideration of excluding the safety item from the scope of environmental assessment

Ⅴ. Conclusion and Suggestions
❏ The impact of COVID-19 is causing tremendous changes in all fields of society in a short period of time, and it appears that it is having a significant impact on the field of environmental impact assessment as well.
❏ This study suggested mid- to long-term strategies and countermeasures in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era.