Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on Illegal Activities at Other Water Pollution Sources Including Scrapyards

Gyeonggi Province will conduct an intensive investigation into illegal activities related to "other water pollution sources" in the province from August 25 to September 5, 2025.

Other water pollution sources are not classified as point sources, where the route of pollutant discharge is clear, or as non-point sources such as construction sites. As a result, these sources often fall into regulatory blind spots. Due to this, they receive relatively little attention and are poorly managed. If left unchecked, water pollutants from these sources can flow into rivers, lakes, and groundwater, posing a threat to the safety of local residents.

This investigation will target businesses such as optician shops equipped with lens manufacturing facilities, automobile maintenance and inspection centers (over 200 square meters), and scrapyards (over 1,500 square meters).

Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit's "Intensive Investigation on Illegal Activities of Other Water Pollution Sources" Notice Poster

According to the 2021 amendment to the Water Environment Conservation Act, these businesses are required to report any discharge of water pollutants to the relevant authorities. However, in practice, there are ongoing cases where businesses operate illegally without reporting or fail to properly install pollution prevention facilities.

The main focus of the investigation will be on unreported other water pollution sources and the failure to install prevention or suppression facilities for these sources.

The current Water Environment Conservation Act stipulates that installing or managing other water pollution sources without submitting the required installation report is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won.

Kiido, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit, stated, "We will do our utmost to eradicate illegal activities in water pollution blind spots and create a safe and healthy society." He emphasized, "Even minor neglect can ultimately lead to significant pollution. The active interest and reporting by residents are more important than anything else."

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