Naju-si Submits Supreme Court Appeal for Administrative Litigation on SRF Cogeneration Power Plant

Published 03 Mar.2022 15:02(KST)

Korea District Heating Corporation building. Photo by Naju City

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong] On the 3rd, Naju City in Jeollanam-do issued a mayoral statement regarding the administrative lawsuit on the ‘Refusal to Accept the SRF Cogeneration Power Plant Business Commencement Report,’ expressing “strong regret over the appellate court ruling” and announced that it has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.

On the 10th of last month, the 1st Administrative Division of the Gwangju High Court dismissed Naju City’s appeal in the administrative lawsuit against Korea District Heating Corporation, siding with the heating corporation.

This trial was an appellate ruling filed by Naju City in objection to the previous judgment on April 15 of last year, when the 1st Administrative Division of the Gwangju District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Korea District Heating Corporation, in the ‘Lawsuit to Cancel the Refusal to Accept the Power Plant Business Commencement Report’ filed against Naju City.

Regarding the appellate court’s decision, the city stated, “It is a decision that ignores the wishes of citizens who have worked hard to prevent the unjust operation of the power plant and shakes the foundation of social consensus on public interest and the principle of waste generation site treatment,” and clarified its intention to appeal by saying, “We will seek the final judgment of the law through the Supreme Court appeal.”

The city asserted, “Despite the unfortunate ruling, Naju City’s fundamental principle remains firm,” and claimed, “The heating corporation constructed the power plant differently from the original plan, and the refusal to accept the business commencement report is a lawful disposition under the Industrial Cluster Act due to the significant public interest necessity of environmental damage to residents.”

Regarding the heating corporation, the city urged, “We strongly call for compliance with the agreement signed on March 27, 2009,” and also urged, “They should present alternatives that can coexist with the local community rather than responding only with legal lawsuits to the earnest voices of the citizens.”

Furthermore, the city warned strongly, “In July, lead content harmful to the human body exceeded the legal standard in the quality inspection of solid fuel from Gwangju’s waste, resulting in a failure,” and added, “Without securing the environmental stability of solid fuel, the health rights, right to life, and environmental rights of residents around the power plant will be seriously damaged.”

Naju City also sharply criticized Gwangju, the only one among six metropolitan cities nationwide without an incineration facility, calling it “a selfish act of shifting metropolitan household waste to a small city.”

The city questioned Gwangju’s consistent passive attitude by saying, “We want to ask what efforts Gwangju has made to solve the problem during the five years of suffering caused by the SRF import issue,” and “We hope that even now, they will not shift their waste problems to other regions and prepare their own solutions.”

Meanwhile, along with Naju City, the Joint Countermeasure Committee to Prevent the Use of Waste (SRF) at the Naju Cogeneration Power Plant and several auxiliary participants clearly stated their intention to continue the lawsuit against the heating corporation by submitting an appeal to the Supreme Court on the 28th of last month.

Mayor Kang In-gyu of Naju said, “We will make multifaceted efforts such as the Democratic Party’s Carbon Neutrality Committee party-government consultation meeting and consultations with related organizations to resolve the Naju SRF conflict,” and added, “I thank the 120,000 citizens who united their strength and wisdom during the litigation process.”