Gyeongbuk Province Establishes Roadmap for Environmentally Friendly Light Management Plan

Considering COVID-19 Situation and Local Economy... Adjusting Timing for Designation of Lighting Environment Management Zones

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] On the 8th, Gyeongbuk Province held the ‘Gyeongsangbuk-do Light Pollution Prevention Committee Meeting’ at the provincial office to deliberate on the designation of lighting environment management zones within the province.

The ‘Gyeongsangbuk-do Light Pollution Prevention Committee,’ established in January to review policies preventing light pollution caused by artificial lighting, consists of external experts in environment and architecture as well as related department heads.

The committee plans to review the establishment and implementation of local light pollution prevention plans and the designation of lighting environment management zones.

Light pollution is a type of environmental pollution encompassing disturbances to daily life and environmental damage caused by excessive artificial lighting that has increased with industrialization.

In 2013, the Ministry of Environment enacted the ‘Light Pollution Prevention Act by Artificial Lighting’ to resolve social conflicts and cost issues caused by light pollution, providing a legal basis for city and provincial governors to designate and manage ‘lighting environment management zones.’

At the meeting, prior to deliberating on the designation of lighting environment management zones, Professor Jinsik Ham of the Department of Architectural Engineering at Daegu University will present the results of the ‘Environmental Impact Assessment of Light Pollution by Artificial Lighting’ project.

Through the project report, Professor Ham stated, “Gyeongbuk Province exceeds 36% of the allowable light emission standards, and complaints about light pollution are gradually increasing, indicating the need to establish lighting environment management zones. However, Gyeongbuk’s exceedance rate is still more than 9% lower than the national average of 45%, and due to its low population density and characteristics as a mixed urban-rural city, the damage among residents caused by light pollution is not significant.”

Chairperson Youngsook Choi, Director of the Environment and Forestry Resources Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Light pollution is a modern concept of environmental pollution that can directly harm people and is intensifying as a problem between individuals. I hope good ideas will be offered to create a region with the most beautiful night scenery where no one feels discomfort by preparing measures to reduce light pollution.”

At the meeting, the committee agreed on the preventive policy of designating ‘lighting environment management zones’ proactively but reached a consensus to adjust the timing of designation considering the local economy and other circumstances to support small business owners who have not been able to operate normally for over two years due to the COVID-19 situation.