Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Uncover 15 Illegal Activities at Vehicle Dismantling Sites

Cases of Illegal Activities by Type in Scrap Yards Graphic provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has uncovered a large number of illegal activities at scrapyards, including the illegal storage of gasoline exceeding 20 times the designated quantity and intentional obstruction of fire safety facilities.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 28th that from October 11 to December 9, they investigated illegal hazardous material handling activities at 60 scrapyards across the province and criminally charged 15 individuals for violating the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, the Fire Safety Facilities Act, and the Fire Safety Facilities Construction Business Act.

Among the major violations, Company A located in Bucheon City was caught storing 4,000 liters of gasoline (Class 4 hazardous material, Category 1 petroleum product), which is more than 20 times the designated quantity of 200 liters, inside the scrapyard business premises instead of a designated storage facility. Company B in Hwaseong City was also found to have stored gasoline equivalent to 9.5 times the designated quantity inside the scrapyard rather than in a storage facility.

Company C in Icheon City was caught storing 3,600 liters of diesel (Class 4 hazardous material, Category 2 petroleum product), which is 3.6 times the designated quantity of 1,000 liters.

Additionally, two scrapyard officials from D and E scrapyards were caught intentionally closing or blocking fire safety facilities. The representative of Company F scrapyard, who subcontracted fire safety facility construction to an unqualified person, and a person in charge at construction Company G, who carried out the work without registering as a fire safety facility business, were each criminally charged.

Under the current Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, companies storing hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantity at locations other than storage or manufacturing sites face imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 30 million KRW. The Fire Safety Facilities Act stipulates that those who close or block fire safety facilities, thereby impairing their function and performance, may face imprisonment of up to five years or fines up to 50 million KRW.

Furthermore, the Fire Safety Facilities Construction Business Act imposes penalties of up to one year imprisonment or fines up to 10 million KRW for subcontracting fire safety facility construction to non-licensed persons, and up to three years imprisonment or fines up to 30 million KRW for operating without registration as a fire safety facility business.

A representative of the Provincial Civil Special Judicial Police stated, "Scrapyards contain many fire-prone materials such as hazardous substances, waste oil, and batteries generated during vehicle dismantling, requiring thorough management," and added, "We will continue to crack down on illegal activities that threaten the safety of residents."

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