Residents of Jangjeong Village "Jeonbuk Province and Iksan City Must Present Damage Countermeasures"

Audit Results by the Board of Audit and Inspection Provide Grounds for Cluster Cancer Outbreaks Due to Changes or Closure in Waste Disposal Businesses

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jaehee] Residents of Jangjeom Village in Iksan, Jeonbuk, have called for measures following a public audit result that attributed the cause of a cluster of cancer cases to administrative negligence in management and supervision.

On the 11th, residents of Jangjeom Village held a press conference in front of the Jeonbuk Provincial Office, stating, "The audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection revealed administrative responsibility," and demanded, "Jeonbuk Province and Iksan City must prepare measures for all damages."

According to the audit results released by the Board of Audit and Inspection on the 5th, Iksan City improperly approved a change report for waste disposal business and neglected on-site verification of the closure report, allowing tobacco stems to continue being used in organic fertilizer production, which provided the initial cause for the cluster cancer outbreak.

Additionally, the audit pointed out that inspections and guidance of business sites such as air emission facilities were handled poorly, and when the cancer outbreak issue was raised, the city belatedly issued warnings and filed complaints, while emission management was also neglected.

The residents lamented, "The environmental damage incident in Jangjeom Village is a man-made disaster," adding, "If the licensing and supervisory agencies had properly performed their duties, the cluster cancer incident affecting 17 residents would not have occurred."

Residents also expressed regret over the delayed audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection regarding the public interest audit.

They pointed out, "It took 1 year and 3 months since the public interest audit was requested and 11 months since the decision to conduct the audit to announce the results," and criticized, "The Board of Audit and Inspection should have notified the reasons and period for the extension according to the public interest audit request processing regulations."

They further stated, "Requesting a 'caution' measure for the related parties downplays the seriousness of the situation," and emphasized, "Considering the gravity of the Jangjeom Village incident, disciplinary action rather than a 'caution' should have been demanded."

The residents stressed, "Jeonbuk Province (responsible until 2008) and Iksan City, as the supervisory agencies for fertilizer production businesses, must take responsibility for failing to properly verify the production performance related to the use of tobacco stems," and added, "Residents will continue to demand measures until they are prepared."

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