"Preventing Neglect of Soil Contamination"... Incheon City Fully Commits to Legal Amendment Proposals and Comprehensive Surveys

Bills on “Compulsory Enforcement Charges for Soil Decontamination” Under Review in National Assembly

Survey Conducted at 130 Sites of Concern for Soil Contamination

Incheon City is focusing on proposing amendments to related laws and conducting proactive surveys to strengthen the prevention and post-management of soil contamination.

The city announced on July 22 that in February and March of last year, it officially proposed legal amendments to the National Assembly and the government to enhance the effectiveness of soil decontamination orders. The proposed bills are currently under review in the National Assembly.

Park Chan-dae, the current Mayor of Incheon, sponsored an amendment to the Soil Environment Conservation Act while serving as a member of the National Assembly. The bill introduces a new system for the imposition and collection of compulsory enforcement charges for soil decontamination. In addition, Assemblyman Lee Yongwoo of the Democratic Party of Korea and others proposed another amendment to expand the scope of individuals subject to such enforcement charges. These legislative proposals were submitted to the National Assembly’s Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee in November of last year, where they are currently being reviewed in a consolidated manner.

The city is also leading institutional improvements, having raised the need to strengthen the enforcement of laws by introducing compulsory enforcement charges at the “Soil Environment Conservation Act Amendment National Assembly Forum” held in December of last year.

Under the current system, authorities can order parties responsible for cleaning up soil contamination to take remedial actions. However, if they fail to comply over an extended period, there are limited effective sanctions, resulting in delays of the decontamination process. There are also cases where a decontamination plan is not even submitted and the site is neglected, leading to ongoing disputes over fairness between diligent and non-diligent parties.

Samples are being collected for soil contamination investigation. Provided by Incheon City

Alongside the legislative efforts, since April of this year, the city has been conducting on-site surveys of 130 locations identified as areas of concern for soil contamination. These locations include gas stations and other transportation-related facilities, industrial complexes, factory zones, children’s playgrounds, and sites scheduled for development.

The survey items cover 23 categories, including soil pH value, heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, organic solvents like benzene and toluene (BTEX), and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). If the survey finds that soil contamination at a particular site exceeds the criteria for concern, the city will notify the relevant county or district office and take measures to ensure that the responsible parties carry out a detailed soil investigation and remediation.

An official from Incheon City said, “Once soil contamination occurs, it takes a significant amount of time and expense to remediate, so it is crucial to proactively verify the potential for contamination and respond quickly. We will focus on both institutional improvements to enhance the effectiveness of decontamination orders and systematic on-site surveys.”

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