Arsenic Levels Up to 10 Times Higher Found in Boryeong Residents... Park Suhyun Vows "Full Investigation"

Strong Push for Follow-up Measures Under the Special Act for Abolished Coal-fired Power Plant Areas

Park Suhyun, Governor-elect of Chungnam Province, announced on the 23rd that a full investigation will be conducted regarding the arsenic levels greatly exceeding the standard in the health checkup of residents near the Boryeong Power Plant Headquarters of Korea Midland Power. Photo by Lee Byeongryeol

Park Suhyun, the Governor-elect of Chungcheongnam-do, stated on the 23rd that “Upon taking office, I will conduct a full-scale investigation” regarding the discovery that arsenic concentrations in the bodies of residents living near the Boryeong Power Plant of Korea Midland Power exceeded the standard level.

Prior to the 'Chungnam Communicating with Residents' town hall meeting held at the Art Center Goma in Gongju City on the same day, Park responded to media questions by saying, “To understand how this has affected residents' health, it is necessary to identify the structural issues over a long period of time.”

He further emphasized, “I will push strongly for follow-up measures in areas where coal-fired power generation has been abolished,” and added, “In particular, I will firmly demand compensation for our region based on the contributions made to the national economy over the years, which have come at the expense of the health, safety, and lives of our residents.”

He also said, “We will conduct a comprehensive new investigation from a fresh perspective on how the industrial structure of past eras has affected the health and safety of our residents.”

The Asia Business Daily reported exclusively on June 22 that health checkups conducted for residents of Ocheon-myeon and Jugyo-myeon, areas near the Boryeong Power Plant, found arsenic concentrations in their bodies at levels significantly exceeding the standard—ranging from 1.3 times higher (134.32 μg/L) to as much as 10.6 times higher (1,062.96 μg/L).

The standard level for arsenic is 100 μg/L. Arsenic is a heavy metal (element) known to cause chemical toxicity and genetic damage as a carcinogen, rather than accumulating in the lungs as dust and causing fibrosis.

As a result, residents are suffering from ongoing health fears and trauma, and some have reportedly died from cancer and various other diseases.

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