Incheon Songdo Amusement Park 'Environmental Policy Advisory Group' Activated... Urging Contaminated Soil Cleanup

On the 22nd, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon announced that the Environmental Policy Advisory Group has officially begun activities to promote soil remediation at the site of the Songdo Amusement Park theme park development project.

The Environmental Policy Advisory Group is composed of a total of 11 members, including Honorary Professor Jeon Chanki of Incheon National University as chairman, city and district council members, experts, environmental organizations, and resident representatives. The advisory group will urge Booyoung Housing to promptly proceed with the soil contamination remediation project and will provide administrative and technical advice necessary for the remediation of the contaminated site.

At the inauguration ceremony held on the 18th, the advisory group shared the current contamination status of the Songdo Amusement Park theme park development site, the progress of the remediation order, and the damage situation of local residents, and discussed future plans such as site visits and regular meetings.

At the 'Inauguration Ceremony of the Environmental Policy Advisory Group for the Promotion of Soil Pollution Remediation at Songdo Amusement Park' held on the 18th, Lee Jae-ho, Mayor of Yeonsu-gu, Incheon (sixth from the right), and advisory committee members are taking a commemorative photo. 2024.1.22 [Photo by Yeonsu-gu, Incheon]

On the same day, the advisory group members strongly condemned, stating, "Booyoung Housing has neglected to carry out the mandatory contaminated soil remediation measures required under the Soil Environment Conservation Act, leaving residents to bear the secondary environmental damage for a long time." The advisory group decided to urge the project implementer to proceed with the contaminated soil remediation project as soon as possible to prevent the spread of soil contamination and minimize damage.

Meanwhile, the Songdo Amusement Park theme park development site was found to have six items?total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), benzene, lead, arsenic, zinc, and fluorine?seriously exceeding the soil contamination concern standards (Category 2) based on a detailed soil survey conducted in 2018.

Accordingly, the district has issued soil contamination remediation orders three times. Although the compliance period for the third order is from January last year to January 2025, Booyoung Housing has yet to submit a contaminated soil remediation plan.