Have you noticed anything different about the hissing of cicadas lately? You may wonder why they sound so quiet compared to last year. Experts say they may have found a reason. Joseph Kim has more.
Cicadas make their presence well known every summer with their loud cries.

Some breeds of cicadas sound [이펙트] almost gleeful…
while others can be [이펙트] simply boisterous.
Whichever it is, when you hear the sound of cicadas, you know summer has arrived.

But this year, they seem to be awfully quiet.

[INTERVIEW]
Chae Young-eun / Nowon-gu, Seoul
Cicadas in Seoul stick to window screens and they are so loud. But the ones in Jeju don’t seem to be like that.
<인터뷰 : 채영은 서울특별시 노원구>
"서울은 방충망에 매미가 붙어서 엄청 시끄러운데 제주는 안 그런 것 같아요."

We searched everywhere for a cicada, from the city center to halfway up the mountain… and finally found one in the Halla Eco Forest.

[INTERVIEW]
Yoon Sun-hye / Seocho-gu, Seoul
I can hear some cicadas here in the forest, but I don’t think I’ve heard any in the city.
<인터뷰 : 윤선혜 서울특별시 서초구>
"여기 생태숲 오니까 매미소리가 좀 들리는 것 같은데 시내에서는 못 들어본 것 같아요."

[interview]
Kim Won-ju / Guide, Halla Eco Forest
Cicadas are really rare these days.
<인터뷰 : 김원주 한라생태숲 숲해설가>
"요즘은 매미가 정말 귀해요."

Cicadas are usually most active in hot weather conditions, so experts say the sudden scarcity of cicadas has little to do with climate change.

Instead, they believe it may have more to do with the mass spraying of pesticides to prevent pine wilt over the last several years.

[INTERVIEW]
Yang Gyeog-sik / Jeju Biodiversity Research Institute
The aerial spraying of pesticides to prevent pine wilt may have resulted in the chemical seeping into the earth and reaching cicada larvae...
<인터뷰 : 양경식 생물종다양성연구소 생물자원연구팀>
"재선충병 항공방제를 하면 약품이 토양으로 스며들고 매미유충이..."

[camera]
Kim Yong-min

Cicadas have long been symbolic of summer with their loud sounds.

[reporter]
Joseph Kim

But now that we can hardly hear them here in Jeju, concerns are rising about the possibility that they might just disappear altogether.

Joseph Kim KCTV