[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Ju Cheol-in] Waste disposal operators who illegally dumped about 4,000 tons of industrial waste by renting a bankrupt factory were arrested in large numbers by the police.
On the 18th, the Chilgok Police Station in Gyeongbuk announced that they had arrested and sent to the prosecution four people, including two figurehead CEOs, one investor, and one broker, on charges of illegal dumping of waste in an empty factory.
The police also booked 36 people involved in the illegal dumping without detention and issued an arrest warrant for the ringleader Mr. A, who is now being pursued.
They are suspected of illegally dumping 4,100 tons of waste, including waste synthetic resin, over a period of fifteen days in early last month at an empty factory (about 12,000㎡) in Seokjeok-eup, Chilgok-gun.
Additionally, one of them was found to be involved in the Uiseong garbage mountain case.
The investor who was sent to prosecution under detention paid the deposit and rent for the empty factory under the name of a figurehead CEO, while the fugitive ringleader Mr. A played a leading role in transporting and stacking waste from across the country to the empty factory.
Some of them were also found to have illegally dumped waste in areas including Uiseong, Gyeongju, and Seongju in Gyeongbuk, as well as Jinju in Gyeongnam and Hampyeong in Jeonnam, with local police investigating those cases.
It has been investigated that they have illegally dumped a total of 11,000 tons of waste so far, earning more than 550 million won in illicit profits.
A police official said, "According to Chilgok-gun's analysis, the empty factory covers about 12,000㎡, which can hold about 200,000 tons of waste," adding, "Considering that the Uiseong garbage mountain is 173,000 tons, an even larger garbage mountain could have formed, but the gang was caught early."
He continued, "The waste disposal cost is 250,000 won per ton, but through brokers, they stacked waste at the Chilgok empty factory for 50,000 won per ton," and "Since waste synthetic resin cannot be exported to China or the Philippines, they are selecting domestic vacant lots to pile it up."
The police have been investigating this case based on a tip-off from the environmental group Korea Green Environment Association.
Kim Dae-gi, head of the investigation division at Chilgok Police Station, said, "The factory owner seems unaware of the illegal dumping of waste synthetic resin as the factory was rented out for storage of goods," adding, "The factory is located in a remote area on the border with Gumi, and because it is so vast, residents could not easily detect the waste dumping."
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