Iksan Mayor Jeong Heon-yul Meets Prime Minister Jeong Se-gyun to Request Support for Jamjeong Village

Advantages Village, Urging the Necessity of Current Projects Including the Construction of the National Environment Museum

Mayor Jeong Heon-yul is meeting with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun along with National Assembly member Kim Su-heung to request government-level support for current projects. Photo by Iksan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jae-hee] Jeong Heon-yul, mayor of Iksan City, actively took the lead in creating an eco-friendly city by visiting Prime Minister Jeong Seyeon to request the government's active cooperation on local environmental issues.

According to the city on the 30th, Congressman Kim Soo-heung (Iksan Gap) accompanied the meeting with the Prime Minister to emphasize the urgency and necessity of government support for the Jangjeom Village Revitalization Project, the illegal landfill waste relocation project at the abandoned quarry, and the full purchase and ecological restoration project of the Wanggung Hyeonup Livestock Farm.

Jangjeom Village has suffered from cancer among residents since a fertilizer factory was established about 500 meters away from the village in 2001. As of November last year, 33 residents have been diagnosed with cancer, 17 have died, and 16 are undergoing treatment.

An investigation by the Ministry of Environment confirmed that the nearby fertilizer factory harmed residents' health. Although the government expressed apologies and pledged to prevent recurrence, no active follow-up support measures have been implemented.

Mayor Jeong explained this series of situations and emphasized the necessity and justification for government-level support measures for Jangjeom Village.

Additionally, Congressman Kim Soo-heung proposed a resolution on the 7th urging compensation for the victims and a thorough investigation into the mass cancer outbreak in Jangjeom Village residents, and requested government support for parliamentary activities demanding accountability from KT&G, which supplied tobacco stems to the fertilizer factory.

Furthermore, Mayor Jeong proposed the establishment of a regional landfill as a solution to the illegal waste dumping at the Nangsang abandoned quarry and the resulting leachate leakage issue, and actively suggested the full purchase and ecological restoration of the Wanggung Hyeonup Livestock Farm, which was a major source of livestock odor and Saemangeum water pollution.

Mayor Jeong Heon-yul and Congressman Kim Soo-heung stated, “Iksan faces numerous environmental issues such as the Jangjeom Village environmental disaster, the first case recognized by the government for epidemiological links between environmental pollution damage and rare diseases, illegal waste dumping at the abandoned quarry, and the Wanggung Hyeonup Livestock Farm.” They emphasized, “Comprehensive government responsibility and active measures such as strengthening environmental education are necessary.”

In response, Prime Minister Jeong said, “The government and local governments will properly manage and supervise environmental issues to prevent such incidents from recurring,” and added, “The government will also take great interest and cooperate in promoting related policies.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Jeong Heon-yul separately visited the Seoul Government Complex to meet with Koo Yoon-chul, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Ahn Il-hwan, 2nd Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, to additionally propose local projects including the Pyeongtaek-Buyeo-Iksan (Western Inland Expressway) construction project and the general industrial complex access road construction (Nangsang to Yeonmu IC).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.