Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 8 Companies Illegally Discharging Wastewater

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has uncovered eight businesses discharging wastewater in knowledge industry centers without permission, exceeding the permitted standards by up to 530 times.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 28th that from the 5th to the 22nd of this month, they conducted focused crackdowns on wastewater discharge businesses within knowledge industry centers in Seongnam, Bucheon, Anyang, and Gunpo cities, uncovering eight violations.

The violations include three cases of operating unauthorized wastewater discharge facilities and discharging specific water quality hazardous substances into public water bodies, and five cases of operating unreported wastewater discharge facilities.

Among the major cases, Company ㄱ in Gunpo City, which manufactures electronic components, was caught discharging wastewater generated from cutting products into public water bodies. Tests on the discharged wastewater showed that copper, a specific water quality hazardous substance, exceeded the permitted discharge standard (0.1 mg/L) by eight times.

Company ㄴ in Anyang City, which manufactures semiconductor parts, was found to have discharged unauthorized wastewater using about 200 tons of tap water per month. Pollution tests revealed that copper exceeded the permitted standard by approximately 530 times, and antimony exceeded the permitted standard (0.02 mg/L) by six times. Additionally, wastewater containing large amounts of heavy metals such as nickel and zinc was discharged into public water bodies.

Company ㄷ, a plastic materials manufacturer in Seongnam City, possessed an analytical laboratory for product testing about six times larger than the reported standard of 100㎡ but failed to report it.

According to the current Water Environment Conservation Act, those who install or operate unauthorized wastewater discharge facilities face imprisonment of up to seven years or fines up to 70 million KRW, while those who install or operate unreported wastewater discharge facilities face imprisonment of up to five years or fines up to 50 million KRW.

Yoon Tae-wan, head of the Provincial Civil Special Judicial Police, emphasized, "We plan to specifically investigate the amount and pollution level of the discharged wastewater from the illegal facilities uncovered and refer the cases accordingly," adding, "We will request strong administrative measures such as closure orders and suspension of use for the violating businesses in the respective cities and counties."

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