Government Invests 543.2 Billion Won Over 5 Years for Mine Pollution Prevention... "Annual Carbon Reduction of 1,400 Tons"

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Announces the '4th Basic Plan for Mine Damage Prevention'

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Junhyung] The government will invest 543.2 billion KRW in mine damage prevention projects over the next five years. The goal is to restore forests damaged by mining and reduce carbon emissions by 1,400 tons annually starting in 2026.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the "4th Basic Plan for Mine Damage Prevention" on the 12th to manage damage caused by mine development. According to Article 7 of the "Act on the Prevention and Restoration of Mine Damage," the government has established a basic plan for mine damage prevention every five years since 2007.

Through this basic plan, the government aims to increase the restoration rate of nationwide idle and closed mines to 30% by 2026. According to the "4th Mine Damage Survey" conducted by the Ministry from May to September last year, out of 5,475 idle and closed mines nationwide, 3,300 mines experienced mine damage. Since 2007, the government has invested about 1.2 trillion KRW in mine damage prevention projects and restored damage at 1,566 sites out of 7,181 sites in 3,300 mines where damage occurred. The project completion rate is about 21.8%. The government plans to carry out mine damage prevention projects at 1,232 sites and restore damage at 588 sites by 2026.

Status of Mining Damage Occurrences. [Photo by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

Specifically, 162.9 billion KRW, which is 30% of the total budget, has been allocated to land improvement and restoration projects. This project restores land contaminated by mine development to establish a safe food production base. 104.2 billion KRW, about 19.2% of the total budget, will be invested in pollution water quality improvement projects to improve water resource ecosystem pollution and prevent secondary contamination.

573 billion KRW has been allocated to the regional integrated mine damage treatment project. To increase project efficiency, when complex mine damage exists within a certain region, projects within the region are integrated and promoted regardless of mine or damage type. 72.5 billion KRW will be invested in mine damage prevention projects targeting operating mines to proactively respond to mine damage from the development stage.

209 billion KRW will be invested in projects to restore forests damaged by mine development. The plan is to register carbon offset projects for completed forest restoration sites to reduce carbon emissions by about 1,400 tons annually. According to the Ministry, the existing completed forest restoration sites cover about 82.9 hectares. The area of completed sites will increase by 43.8 hectares to 126.7 hectares by 2026, when the 4th basic plan is completed.

An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, "We will faithfully implement the 4th Basic Plan for Mine Damage Prevention over the next five years in cooperation with the mining industry and related organizations," adding, "We plan to continuously strive to create a sustainable mining development environment."

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