Gyeonggi-do to Crack Down on Illegal Activities at Seaweed Farms Until April Next Year

The enforcement team is cracking down on illegal activities at the seaweed farm. Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will crack down on illegal activities at seaweed farms in the province until April next year.

On the 27th, Gyeonggi Province announced that from December 28 this year to April 21 next year, a four-month joint crackdown with city and county governments will be conducted on illegal activities at seaweed farms in the province, including the use of inorganic acid.

This crackdown aims to eradicate illegal activities such as the illegal use of inorganic acid (hydrochloric acid), unlicensed farm management, and installation of farming facilities outside licensed areas at seaweed farms, which are expected to be rampant during the winter season when seaweed harvesting intensifies.

The crackdown targets 66 seaweed harvesting farms (3,100 hectares), including 48 locations in Hwaseong City and 18 in Ansan City.

To carry out the crackdown, the province has formed a joint inspection team with the Department of Marine Fisheries, the Special Judicial Police for Public Livelihood, Hwaseong City, and Ansan City. Inspections will be conducted at least once a week.

The main items under inspection include ▲ illegal use of inorganic acid [hazardous chemical substance (hydrochloric acid)] at seaweed farms ▲ unlicensed aquaculture business management ▲ violations in the use of management vessels ▲ acts of allowing others to control licensed farm management and acts of controlling such management ▲ unlicensed aquaculture business management ▲ installation of farming facilities outside licensed areas.

In particular, inorganic acid is known to have a higher effect in removing foreign substances and helps prevent seaweed diseases compared to legally permitted organic acids (active treatment agents). However, it is highly toxic and does not dissolve well in seawater, making it a major cause of environmental pollution. It is classified as a toxic substance and banned under the Fisheries Resource Management Act because it can cause serious effects if accumulated in the human body.

The province invests more than 600 million KRW annually to suppress the illegal use of inorganic acid at seaweed farms by supporting organic acid active treatment agents with a chlorine ion concentration of 9.5% or less to seaweed farms in Ansan and Hwaseong.

The province stated that any illegal activities detected during this joint crackdown will be immediately prosecuted according to relevant laws.

Kim Seong-gon, head of the Marine Fisheries Department of the province, said, "The use of inorganic acid destroys the marine environment and causes distrust in Gyeonggi Province’s seaweed products. We will strictly punish acts that gain unfair profits with a zero-tolerance policy to establish a fair fishery order."

Meanwhile, last year, the province conducted an intensive crackdown on illegal activities at seaweed farms, detecting and prosecuting a total of seven cases including illegal use of inorganic acid, unlicensed farm management, and violations in the use of management vessels.

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