By Yi Whan-woo

North Korea will join the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, in May, according to the Ramsar Secretariat.

"The convention will come into force in the DPRK on May 16," the secretariat said recently on its website, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The country has filed candidacy for two sites -- the Mundok Migratory Bird Reserve in South Pyongan Province and the Sonbong Migratory Bird Reserve in North Hamkyong Province.

The Mundok Reserve is at the mouth of Chongchon River on North Korea's west coast. It is a habitat for endangered migratory birds, including the red-crowned crane, hooded crane and swan goose.

The Sonbong Reserve, which consists of three lakes, is in the Rason Special Economic Zone in Rason near the Chinese and Russian borders.

The area is a home to several species of threatened water birds, such as the white-naped crane, relict gull, far eastern curlew and mute swan.

"Both sites are extremely important for migratory water birds," the secretariat said. "Their long-term conservation will thus be extremely important for the conservation of bird life on the Korean Peninsula."