Approval of the Amendment to the "Air Environment Conservation Act" at the Cabinet Meeting on the 30th
Ministry of Environment: "Protecting Public Health, Improving Vehicle Owners' Rights"
Regulations for Local Governments on Notification Acceptance and Administrative Disposition of Dust-Emitting Workplaces
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] In the future, if an automobile company is found to have emission defects such as illegal vehicle manipulation and submits a recall plan late or inadequately, environmental authorities will be able to issue orders for replacement or refund.
The Ministry of Environment announced on the 30th that a revision to the Air Quality Preservation Act containing these provisions was approved at the Cabinet meeting and will be submitted to the National Assembly. This revision was automatically discarded due to the expiration of the 20th National Assembly's term and is being reintroduced in the 21st National Assembly.
This revision is characterized by establishing sanctions for situations where significant time is taken for the Ministry of Environment to approve recall plans due to delayed or inadequate submission of recall plans.
Previously, even if a company ordered to recall a vehicle due to defects submitted the recall plan late or inadequately submitted the defect cause analysis or corrective action supporting documents, there were no sanctions.
The revision stipulates that if a recall plan is not submitted within the deadline (45 days from the order date) after a recall order or if the content is inadequate and the Ministry of Environment cannot approve the recall plan, a fine of up to 5 million KRW may be imposed, and it may be determined that the recall is not possible.
In cases where the recall plan is submitted late or inadequately and recall cannot be performed, grounds are established to issue orders for replacement, refund, or repurchase for the defective vehicle models.
The revision also includes provisions clearly defining the reporting acceptance and administrative disposition authorities when dust-generating business areas span two or more cities or counties.
Reports must be submitted to the mayor, county governor, or district head who has jurisdiction over the largest area of the business zone, and that local government head will handle report acceptance and administrative dispositions such as improvement orders. Previously, there were no separate regulations for dust-generating business sites excluding construction, so reports had to be submitted separately to each mayor, county governor, or district head.
It also establishes grounds for provincial governors to request information from the head of the tax office on business closures or deregistrations to efficiently manage air pollutant emission business sites.
Additionally, to strengthen decentralization and improve the convenience of education for environmental technicians, education for environmental technicians can now be conducted in cities with populations of 500,000 or more. The entities responsible for conducting environmental technician education have been expanded to include the heads of large cities with populations over 500,000, in addition to the current Minister of Environment and provincial governors.
Furthermore, the revision requires that when important matters such as technical personnel or facility equipment change at automobile fuel inspection agencies, a report must be submitted to the Minister of Environment to efficiently manage these agencies and enhance inspection reliability.
Choi Jong-won, Director of Air Quality Policy at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "If this revision passes the National Assembly, defect correction for automobile emissions will be implemented more swiftly, protecting public health while also improving the rights and interests of vehicle owners."
He added, "The reporting procedures for dust-generating businesses will be simplified, and environmental technician education can be conducted in cities with populations over 500,000, thereby enhancing convenience for businesses and management efficiency."
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