Seoul City Detects 32 Businesses Illegally Emitting Air Pollutants

Intensive Crackdown on Areas with Dense Concentration of Emission Facilities

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 2nd that it will intensively crack down on illegal emissions from fine dust sources in daily life, such as construction sites, during the 4th seasonal fine dust management period, and will take investigative and prosecution measures against violating businesses.

This crackdown was implemented to manage air quality during the winter season, when high concentrations of fine dust frequently occur, focusing on construction sites generating scattered dust as well as businesses that emit large amounts of harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, which are causes of fine dust.

From December last year to February this year, the city inspected a total of 98 businesses mainly in areas densely populated with emission sources and detected violations at 32 locations. The detected businesses were categorized as follows: ▲10 construction sites, ▲6 metal surface treatment businesses, ▲7 precious metal manufacturing businesses, and ▲9 unauthorized automobile painting facilities.

Regarding major cases at construction sites, one construction company at an apartment construction site was caught for not installing dust collection equipment to suppress scattered dust during outdoor steel frame cutting work. At another construction site in a densely populated residential area, a large amount of scattered dust was generated by conducting drilling work without installing dust-proof curtains.

For metal surface treatment facilities, the city focused on inspecting the installation of air pollution prevention facilities in areas such as Mullae-dong in Guro-gu, Seongsu-dong in Seongdong-gu, and Doksan-dong in Geumcheon-gu, where plating companies and other metal surface treatment businesses are concentrated. As a result, ㅇㅇ Steel was caught for illegally emitting air pollutants without cleaning facilities during plating work, and △△ Metal was detected for emitting pollutants without operating prevention facilities while removing grease with hydrochloric acid to improve metal quality before plating.

Precious metal manufacturing businesses are concentrated in Bongik-dong, Jongno-gu, including jewelry workshops, where air pollutants are emitted during the melting process of gold, silver, and other metals. Businesses such as 00 Foundry were caught in this crackdown for illegally emitting air pollutants without installing prevention facilities.

The city also conducted crackdowns on automobile painting facilities. 00 Automobile Restoration in Yongdap-dong, Seongdong-gu, was caught for illegally emitting volatile organic compounds generated during the painting process without adsorption facilities equipped with activated carbon. In addition, a total of nine unauthorized painting facilities without air pollution emission permits were detected by the inspection team, and investigations have been completed or are ongoing.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted investigations on the 32 businesses detected during the crackdown, and filed complaints with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against 12 businesses for violating the Air Environment Conservation Act after completing investigations. The remaining businesses under investigation will also be reported to the prosecution as soon as the circumstances of the violations are confirmed.

The city stated that it will continue inspections of air pollutant-emitting businesses until the end of March, when the 4th seasonal fine dust management period ends, and will take a zero-tolerance legal approach against detected businesses.

Kim Deok-hwan, Director of the Air Policy Division of Seoul City, said, “Air pollution is a matter directly related to citizens' health, and we will continue crackdowns in the future.” He added, “Since managing air pollutants is important for the health of workers at business sites, we urge each business to install prevention facilities and operate them in accordance with laws and regulations.”