Gwangju City Council: "Resident Communication Must Come First in Incineration Plant Construction"

Two Resident Briefings Canceled, City Official Injured
Environment and Welfare Committee Calls for Transparency in Site Selection and Formation of Resident Consultative Body

A view of Gwangju City Council.

The construction of the metropolitan resource recovery facility (incineration plant) being promoted by Gwangju City is facing difficulties due to opposition from local residents. In response, the Environment and Welfare Committee of the Gwangju City Council has called for the restoration of fairness and trust, stating that "communication and understanding with residents must come before legal procedures."

In a statement released on August 19, the Gwangju City Council's Environment and Welfare Committee stressed, "The minutes and evaluation process of the site selection committee must be fully disclosed, and the number of resident representatives should be increased from the current two to at least three to secure legal legitimacy." The committee also emphasized, "Allegations of false address registration that arose during the application process must be transparently investigated and clarified."

The committee further asserted, "Resident participation must be expanded throughout the incineration plant construction process, and a permanent resident-led consultative body with expert participation should be established." They added, "This consultative body should be tasked with objectively evaluating the scientific safety and environmental impact of the incineration facility."

The committee also urged, "The mayor and vice mayor should communicate directly with residents and present practical support measures, including resident safety, traffic plans, expansion of convenience facilities, and ways to utilize waste heat from incineration."

Choi Jihyun, chairperson of the Environment and Welfare Committee, stated, "Gwangju City must reorganize its implementation system based on the principles of fairness, transparency, and trust, and find solutions grounded in resident consensus."

Meanwhile, Gwangju City is pushing forward with plans to build an incineration plant capable of processing 650 tons of waste per day in preparation for the nationwide ban on direct landfilling of municipal solid waste by 2030. However, resident briefings on the draft strategic environmental impact assessment were canceled twice in a row, in June and August, and during this process, a city official was injured in a physical altercation.

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