Why on Earth? Local Government Head Holds Solo Protest 27 Times Over the Same Issue

Okyu-seok, Busan Gijang County Governor, "No Expansion of Waste Incineration Capacity in Residential Areas"

On the 25th, Oh Gyu-seok, the mayor of Gijang County, held a solo protest in front of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office opposing the permit change for the incineration capacity expansion of a medical waste intermediate disposal company in the area.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The heatwave could not break the county governor's will.

Oh Gyu-seok, the governor of Busan's Gijang County, clearly expressed his stance by holding his 27th protest over a single issue.

On the morning of the 25th at 11:20 AM, Governor Oh stood holding a placard in front of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, opposing the NC Medi medical waste incineration capacity expansion permit change for the medical waste intermediate disposal company (incineration) in Yongsu-ri, Jeonggwan-eup. It has now become the 27th day of his solo protest.

Gijang County holds a critical view of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, which approved the medical waste incineration facility in 2005 despite knowing that more than 100,000 people would reside in Jeonggwan New Town following the designation of Jeonggwan Residential Development Planned District in 1997.

The county regards the approval of this 'capacity expansion' permit change as a provocative act that deceives the entire 'Gijang'.

Currently, Gijang County has no authority to manage or supervise NC Medi's medical waste storage and incineration.

Accordingly, alongside the governor's solo protest, Gijang County is conveying a strong stance to Busan City, which holds the authority to decide on district unit plan area changes.

Governor Oh stated, “For NC Medi to increase incineration capacity fivefold, the drafting of the urban and county management plan must first be carried out, and the drafting authority belongs to the Gijang County governor, while the decision authority belongs to the Busan mayor.”

Therefore, he argues that “if the county governor does not draft the plan, the Busan mayor cannot make any urban or county management plan decisions.”

Governor Oh declared, “Since Gijang County will never draft a plan for the incineration capacity expansion permit, Busan City will not be able to make any decisions.”

Gijang County insists that medical waste incineration plants should be relocated to non-residential external areas such as mountainous remote areas or exclusive industrial zones where factories with chimneys can be established.