The Environment Ministry said Monday it will ask the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November to designate Mount Halla on Cheju Island as a natural treasure that must be protected.

The ministry finished a primary study of the mountain with rich flora resources last November to draw up a protection plan.

It will specify the parts it would like preserved after inspecting the mountain once again and will hold a briefing for citizens living near the mountain.

Should Mount Halla be accepted by UNESCO, reckless development of the mountain will be prevented. The provincial government and environmentalists are often wrangling about a proposed cable railway or gondola to whisk tourists to the top of the mountain's volcanic crater.

UNESCO has named 391 areas in 94 nations as ecosystem-preserving zones, such as Yellowstone National Park and the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Baikal Lake in Russia.

In 1982, Mount Sorak in Korea was also included.