Evergreen broad-leaved forests in the warm-temperate zone of Korea—particularly along the southern coast and on Jeju Island—have developed over the past 1,500 years, predominantly composed of Cyclobalanopsis spp. and Castanopsis spp. However, prolonged human disturbance has led to severe degradation of these ecosystems. Today, they exist mostly as fragmented remnants or in a regressive successional state, with limited spatial distribution, thereby highlighting the urgent need for ecological restoration. The overarching goals of restoration are twofold: first, to establish ecological buffer zones that enhance biodiversity and ecosystem service functions in response to climate change; and second, to restore the ecological continuity and representativeness of evergreen broad-leaved forests within the East Asian warm-temperate biogeographic region. Despite these goals, current restoration efforts on Korea’s southern islands—commonly referred to as “island forest restoration projects”—have been criticized for failing to adequately incorporate key ecological principles, such as defining appropriate reference ecosystems, considering successional trajectories, and establishing site-specific restoration targets. This study presents a scientifically grounded restoration strategy based on detailed analyses of vegetation types, successional pathways, and degradation levels in warm-temperate forests. Specifically, three forest types are proposed as reference ecosystems and benchmarks for monitoring: the Machilus, Castanopsis, and Cyclobalanopsis forest types, each considered a potential climax community in the region. The central aim of this strategy is to restore degraded sites to conditions resembling the reference ecosystem with minimal energy and resource input. In the short term, this involves stabilizing vegetation through the establishment of a canopy dominated by evergreen broad-leaved species. In the medium to long term, the strategy seeks to promote natural succession and to restore the structural, functional, and compositional integrity of the ecosystem. Restoration types and techniques should be applied adaptively based on site-specific conditions and the severity of degradation. Core components—such as soil environment restoration, degradation-level assessment, and classification of restoration approaches—must be integrated into a coherent and flexible implementation framework.