‘Soil Fluoride Regulation Relaxation’ Breathes New Life into Seocho-gu Reconstruction

Relieving Burdens Such as Delays in Reconstruction Projects
Suggestions and Improvement Plans Presented to the Ministry of Environment and the Office for Government Policy Coordination

Due to regulatory relaxation efforts by Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su), the soil fluoride contamination concern standards have been eased, providing new opportunities for the promotion of reconstruction projects.

Fluoride is widely used in daily life and industrial fields, such as in toothpaste ingredients, but excessive exposure to the human body can cause side effects, so legal standards have been established for its management. However, the housing and construction industries have complained that the soil fluoride purification standards are excessively strict compared to those in the United States and Japan, causing delays in various development projects and increased project costs.

View of Seocho District Office. Provided by Seocho District Office.

In particular, Seocho-gu, including Bangbae-dong and other major reconstruction areas, consists of granite ground with high fluoride content, making it difficult to meet the strict purification standards. When fluoride contamination is detected during the reconstruction project process, detailed soil investigations and purification work require at least six months to several years and incur enormous costs, leading to project delays and significant increases in expenses, creating a heavy burden.

In response, Seocho-gu actively addressed the issue by continuously informing the Ministry of Environment and the Office for Government Policy Coordination of residents’ grievances and the difficulties faced by reconstruction sites since last year, proposing improvement plans, and ultimately leading to regulatory improvements.

The Ministry of Environment amended the “Soil Environment Conservation Act Enforcement Rules” to ease the soil fluoride contamination concern standards starting from the 12th of last month. According to the amendment, the fluoride concern standards, which were 400 mg/kg for residential areas and forest lands, have been adjusted to 800 mg/kg for residential areas and 1300 mg/kg for forest lands, while factory sites have been changed from 800 mg/kg to 2000 mg/kg.

This change applies to detailed soil investigations and purification orders conducted after the amendment date and is expected to significantly alleviate project delays and purification cost issues at major reconstruction sites, including Bangbae-dong. Residents and reconstruction sites have expressed great expectations for the resumption of long-stalled projects.

Mayor Jeon Seong-su stated, “Protecting and nurturing the environment is our responsibility for future generations,” adding, “While managing in a way that does not harm people and the environment, we will actively propose and improve unreasonable regulations to central government agencies and strive to realize sustainable development in harmony with the environment.”