Building Another 'Medical Waste Incinerator' in the Heart of a City with Over 80,000 Residents?

Busan Gijang County Mayor Oh Gyuseok Visits Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office to Protest Expansion of Jeonggwan Incineration Plant

On the 16th, Oh Gyuseok, the mayor of Gijang County (right), visited the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office in Changwon City, Gyeongnam, to convey residents' opinions firmly opposing the expansion of the medical waste incineration plant in Jeonggwan-eup and to urge the rejection of the incineration company's application for a change of permit.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] “A place where 8,000 people lived now has a population exceeding 80,000. Should we allow more medical waste incinerators to be built there?”

Busan’s Gijang-gun is strongly opposing the expansion of the medical waste incinerator in Jeonggwan-eup.

On the afternoon of the 16th, Oh Gyu-seok, the head of Gijang-gun, visited the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office to deliver residents’ opposition to the incinerator expansion proposed by the medical waste incineration company and urged the office to reject the company’s application for a permit modification.

The medical waste incineration company in Jeonggwan-eup currently operates at a capacity of 0.4 tons per hour but is planning to increase the incineration facility capacity fivefold to 2 tons per hour. Local residents are strongly opposing this plan.

Within a 1 km radius of the medical waste incineration company, there are dozens of apartments, commercial facilities, daycare centers, kindergartens, and elementary, middle, and high schools.

Residents claim that environmental pollution caused by the incinerator expansion will further threaten their right to live.

Residents of Jeonggwan-eup stated, “Since the incineration facility began operation in 2005, we have suffered from various air pollutants such as fine dust and foul odors, yet our suffering has been ignored. We are angry that the incineration company submitted a permit modification application for expansion plans to the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office.”

On the same day, Oh Gyu-seok met with the Director of Environmental Management at the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office to express opposition to the permit modification for the expansion of the Jeonggwan medical waste incinerator.

Oh said, “The population of Jeonggwan New Town has exceeded 82,000. Compared to about 8,000 people at the time of the 2005 permit, a large population influx has occurred,” adding, “There is no place anywhere in the country where a medical waste incinerator emitting fine dust, foul odors, and other air pollutants is located in the middle of a large city like Jeonggwan New Town,” urging the rejection of the permit modification application.

The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office responded, “We are well aware of the concerns of Gijang-gun and the residents and will lawfully review the medical waste incineration company’s permit modification application.”

Oh said, “The health and environmental rights of Gijang residents come first,” and added, “We will mobilize all administrative power to respond strongly. Even if the county head has to stage a one-person protest, we will stop it.”

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