[Choi Jun-young's Urban Pilgrimage] The Hidden Side of the City, Landfill Sites

A city is divided into visible and invisible aspects. Roads, buildings, parks, and green spaces are visible elements, but a city cannot be sustained by these alone. There are many invisible elements within a city. Most of the water supply, sewage, electricity, telecommunications, and gas systems that provide essential daily necessities are buried underground, hidden from view. Even things that were once visible to us have gradually disappeared as income levels have risen and awareness of cityscapes has improved. The underground installation of power and communication lines through undergrounding projects is a representative example.

54,000 Tons of Household Waste Daily... Jeju Produces the Most Due to Tourists

The amount of goods and materials consumed in cities is enormous. Everything used for our convenience eventually becomes waste. Where does this waste go? Most of the waste generated in cities is household waste. The total amount of household waste generated nationwide in South Korea reaches about 54,000 tons daily. Per capita, this amounts to roughly 1 kg. Nearly half of this, about 25,000 tons, is generated in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Busan areas. The more people live in an area, the more waste is produced. However, surprisingly, Jeju has the highest per capita household waste. Due to tourists, Jeju produces 1.93 kg of waste per person per day, more than twice the 0.76 kg per person in Incheon, which has the lowest amount.

Most waste generated in the metropolitan area is sent to the Sudokwon Landfill Site. This large landfill, spanning Incheon’s Oryu-dong and Baekseok-dong and Gyeonggi’s Gimpo-si Hakun-ri, began operations in 1992. When I was a university student, it was said that with the completion of this landfill, there would be no need to worry about waste problems for the next 40 years. However, now there are only five years left until the landfill’s operational deadline. Many are concerned about where to secure an alternative landfill site, but there remains a reluctance to discuss this publicly.

1950s Waste Used as Resources... 1960s Designation of Waste Disposal Sites in Seongdong, Yeongdeungpo, Seodaemun, and Others for Waste Landfilling

Before the Sudokwon Landfill Site was established, waste generated in Seoul was handled in various ways. In the 1950s, waste was used as various resources and sold for money. In 1962, it was sold at 30 won per ton. These wastes were used to fill land. Filling wetlands, rice paddies, and low-lying areas with waste to sell as residential land was very profitable. In 1963, Seoul designated 100,000 pyeong (approximately 330,000 square meters) across four areas?Seongdong, Seongbuk, Yeongdeungpo, and Seodaemun?as waste disposal sites, landfilled the waste, and then auctioned the land as residential lots to the public. The areas created this way are now known as Guui-dong, Janganpyeong, Sindorim, Susaek, Cheonho-dong, Junggye-dong, and Mangwon-dong.

Choi Jun-young, Senior Advisor at Yulchon LLC

Later, the target areas expanded to Gangnam, and districts such as Yeongdong and Jamsil, which were part of land readjustment projects, were used as waste landfills. The Han River riverside areas were also reclaimed and filled using waste. In Guui-dong, a 1.5 km embankment was built along the Han River to create 176,000 pyeong of residential land, requiring 4.7 million cubic meters of soil. Of this, 2.7 million cubic meters were sourced from Amsa-dong across the river, and the remaining 2 million cubic meters were filled with waste.

After the eastern parts of Seoul such as Janganpyeong and Guui-dong were all landfilled, Seoul turned its attention westward. The current World Cup Stadium area in western Seoul was once a large island called Nanji-do. This area, used as farms and nurseries, was suddenly designated as a waste disposal site by Seoul in 1977, just as expectations for development were rising with the construction of embankments. Many who speculated on the area due to development hopes suffered significant losses. Although there were initial plans to build large-scale sports facilities there, these were shelved due to the landfill designation. However, 25 years later, in 2002, the World Cup Stadium was built, so the dream was eventually realized, albeit late.

Nanji-do Landfill Site Until 1991... Transformed into Today’s World Cup Stadium

A significant portion of the waste brought to Nanji-do was coal briquette ash, which was a major heating fuel at the time. As it became increasingly difficult to secure landfill sites, bricks were made using coal ash. With rising consumption levels, many items that were previously not discarded began to be thrown away, creating livelihoods for many who scavenged and recycled these materials. The scenes we now associate with underdeveloped countries were still occurring in a part of Seoul until the early 1990s.

The Nanji-do landfill, planned for use until 1991, grew beyond just filling lowlands to forming hills. The waste piles reached 60 to 70 meters above the surface, causing significant visual, odor, and pest problems for nearby areas. Frequent fires caused damage to the National Assembly building due to smoke and odors. After the Sudokwon Landfill Site was established and Nanji-do ceased operations, various ideas were proposed for its reuse. The most radical was to install a conveyor belt to transport waste to the Sudokwon site and then develop Nanji-do into residential land. Ultimately, the area was developed into an environmental park and advanced information complex. Over 20 years, it became a representative space in western Seoul, harmonizing the Digital Media City, Noeul Park, Haneul Park, and the World Cup Stadium.

Five Years Left Until Sudokwon Landfill Site Closure, Waste Issues Resurface

The waste problem, which had been out of public attention for about 30 years, has recently re-emerged. After China stopped importing waste, South Korea faced a recycling waste crisis in 2018, and its effects continue. A bigger issue is that the 2025 deadline is approaching. Alternative sites have been considered in seven locations in Gyeonggi and three in Incheon, but no clear conclusion has been reached. It is necessary to minimize waste generation and increase energy recovery through incineration, but this is not easy in reality.

For a city to be sustained, the treatment of sewage and waste?things no one wants to see?is crucial. Facilities that were once built far away in sparsely populated areas are now located in the heart of urban areas and must either be relocated or buried underground. The hidden concerns of Seoul and the metropolitan area, which are shining as a world-class metropolis, are now approaching us.