The Reason for the Tenth Solo Protest... Oguseok, Gijang County Governor, Says "No Expansion of Medical Waste Incineration Capacity"

Opposition to Incineration Facility Permit Change Application Near Residential Area in Jeonggwan-eup

"Nakdonggang Watershed Environmental Office Should Deny Conditional Approval to Incineration Company"

On the 2nd at 3 PM, Oh Gyuseok, the mayor of Gijang-gun, is holding his 10th solo protest in front of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office. [Image source=Gijang-gun]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Oh Gyu-seok, the mayor of Busan's Gijang County, held his 10th protest.

It is a record for a local government head to participate in a solo protest ten times over the same issue.

On the 2nd at 3 p.m., Mayor Oh shouted in front of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, "Today, I am holding my 10th solo protest."

Mayor Oh raised his voice, saying, "I have requested dozens of meetings with the head of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, but they have not met with me," and "Ignoring the mayor of Gijang is an act of ignoring the 176,000 residents of Gijang."

He said, "Is this public official above the people?" and "Answer whether it is acceptable to ignore the residents of Gijang."

On that day, Mayor Oh warned, "The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office is about to grant a conditional permit to NC Medi, a medical waste incineration company, which involves administrative favoritism and illegality. They must immediately stop this."

The issue that made the 'protesting mayor' was the expansion of the incineration plant.

It is because the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office granted permission in 2005 for a medical waste incineration facility located in the middle of Jeonggwan New Town, where about 82,000 people reside.

The incineration facility emits various pollutants such as fine dust, odors, and dust in the urban area, and there is opposition to the recent plan to increase the incineration capacity.

Gijang County has issued administrative measures (improvement recommendations) three times in total to NC Medi for exceeding odor emission standards: once in 2017 and twice in 2018 through odor control.

NC Medi filed a lawsuit on April 10, 2019, challenging the administrative measures, including the designation and notification of the odor emission facility as a reportable facility. After several court battles, on May 7 of this year, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court's ruling in favor of Gijang County and remanded the case to the Busan High Court.

In the situation where a lawsuit is ongoing between the competent administrative agency and the incineration company, Gijang County views the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office's acceptance of the company's application for capacity expansion and its attempt to approve a conditional permit as favoritism or potentially illegal.

Gijang County holds the position that for NC Medi to increase incineration capacity fivefold, the formulation of an urban and county management plan must precede, and the authority to formulate such a plan lies with the mayor of Gijang County.

The decision-making authority for urban and county management plans belongs to the mayor of Busan, and if the mayor of Gijang does not initiate the plan, the mayor of Busan cannot make a decision, according to their argument.

Mayor Oh stated, "I have no intention of initiating the urban and county management plan necessary for the fivefold expansion permit of incineration capacity."

As of May 30, it is known that about 23,000 residents have participated in the signature campaign opposing the incineration capacity expansion, promoted by the Jeonggwan-eup Development Council and village chiefs and other resident organizations in Jeonggwan-eup.