Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Share 57.7 Billion KRW for Han River and Marine Waste Disposal Costs

Agreement on Sharing Waste Disposal Costs for Incheon Coastal Waters and Han River Seoul Section to Be Signed on the 15th

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Metropolitan Government, Ministry of Environment, Incheon Metropolitan City, and Gyeonggi Province announced on the 6th that they have agreed to share the cost of 57.75 billion KRW for five years starting next year to handle the waste flowing into the Han River and the sea in front of Incheon, and will sign an agreement on the 15th.

Approximately 8,000 tons of waste flow into the Han River and the sea in front of Incheon annually, either carried from the land during heavy rains such as monsoons and typhoons or discarded by people. Underwater waste causes water pollution and disrupts aquatic ecosystems, leading to fishing losses, making cooperation among the metropolitan areas essential for the restoration of the Han River and marine ecosystems.

Seoul, the Ministry of Environment, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province have recognized their joint responsibility for cleaning up waste in the Han River and marine areas and have been signing agreements every five years since 2007 to share the waste disposal costs. Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi have been signing agreements since 2002 to share the costs of waste disposal in the Seoul section of the Han River and the sea in front of Incheon, and since 2007, the Ministry of Environment has also participated in these agreements.

The disposal costs cover timely collection and processing of waste in the Han River estuary and the sea in front of Incheon, including deployment of underwater waste collection personnel, waste treatment, and operation of intensive cleanup weeks, as well as various activities to restore aquatic ecosystems. In some local governments, waste collection activities encourage participation from local residents, contributing to job creation.

The agreements to be signed on the 15th include the '5th Han River Mainstream Waste Disposal Cost Sharing Agreement' for the Seoul section of the Han River mainstream (from downstream of Jamsil Underwater Weir to Hangju Bridge) and the '5th Incheon Offshore Waste Disposal Cost Sharing Agreement.'

The Han River mainstream agreement will be signed among Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. The three local governments will share 3.05 billion KRW annually from 2022 to 2026, totaling 15.25 billion KRW over five years. The total amount is increased by 750 million KRW compared to the 4th agreement, and the sharing ratio by city/province (Seoul 89.2%, Incheon Metropolitan City 2.5%, Gyeonggi Province 8.3%) remains the same as before.

The Incheon offshore agreement will be signed among Seoul, the Ministry of Environment, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. It stipulates cooperation to share 8.5 billion KRW annually from 2022 to 2026, totaling 42.5 billion KRW over five years. Reflecting the continuously increasing amount of waste flowing into the Han River and inflation rates, the total amount has increased by 1.5 billion KRW compared to the 4th agreement, with the sharing ratio unchanged. Of the 8.5 billion KRW, excluding the Ministry of Environment’s budget of 2.7 billion KRW, the remaining amount is shared by Seoul 22.8%, Incheon Metropolitan City 50.2%, and Gyeonggi Province 27.0%.

Han Yu-seok, Director of the Water Circulation Safety Bureau of Seoul, said, “The amount of waste flowing into the Han River is increasing, and the costs for disposal are also rising. We ask citizens to take an interest in cleanup activities and waste reduction to prevent water pollution in the Han River and enjoy a pleasant environment.”

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