'Threatening Both Aesthetics and Safety' Naju City 'Solves' Hoarding Clutter Problem

Published 26 Jun.2024 14:18(KST)

Accumulated Storage Blocks One Lane for Years

Traffic Inconvenience and Odor... Residents' Unspoken Hardships Continue

City Persuades Accumulators... Police Witness Administrative Enforcement for Collection and Disposal

The long-standing concerns of residents, whose neighborhood's aesthetics and safety were threatened by a household that had been hoarding items from the stairs inside their home all the way to the road in front of the house due to hoarding disorder, have finally been resolved.

Naju City took direct action by carrying out administrative enforcement to remove illegal piled-up items, fulfilling the long-cherished wish of residents who had been distressed for several years.

Naju City conducted administrative enforcement and thoroughly cleaned up the garbage piled up on the road. (From left in the photo: before administrative enforcement, organizing under police supervision, after administrative enforcement)

According to Naju City on the 26th, the city recently removed scrap metal piled up on a road in Yeongsan-dong by deploying road management officials, sidewalk repair workers, and with police presence.

This location had frequent complaints from residents because Mr. A had been habitually illegally piling up waste paper and scrap metal for over five years.

The illegal piled-up items, accumulated over several years to the extent that one lane was almost impossible to pass, caused serious inconvenience to residents’ passage. Not only safety and neighborhood aesthetics but also foul odors worsened when it rained, forcing residents to live with unspoken worries.

Since 2019, Naju City had issued orders to remove the road piled-up items and restore the site to its original state, but the situation did not improve.

After discussions with Mr. A, persuasion was successful, and on the 21st, the piled-up items were removed together with Mr. A. Recyclable scrap was taken out, and other waste pallets were immediately collected and disposed of.

Nearby residents, who had suffered mental distress for years due to the illegal piled-up items, unanimously praised Naju City’s recent administrative enforcement, saying, “Our long-standing frustration has finally been resolved.”

Resident B said, “Although there had been discomfort for a long time, since we are neighbors, we couldn’t bring ourselves to speak up, which was both regrettable and frustrating. I hope this incident brings awareness to the person involved,” adding, “I thank the officials who decisively cleaned the village road.”

A city official stated, “Despite several previous orders to remove the road piled-up items and restore the site, as well as fines imposed following criminal complaints for unauthorized occupation, no improvements were made, so we proceeded with administrative enforcement. We will continue to do our best to maintain safe roads and improve a pleasant road environment.”