Proposal Adopted... "Unilateral Promotion Without Resident Consent Is Not Allowed"
On the 20th, the Seo-gu Council of Gwangju announced that during the 2nd regular meeting of the 327th session held on the 19th, Councilor Ahn Hyeong-ju’s proposed “Resolution Opposing the Construction of the Seochang-dong Resource Recovery Facility” was adopted.
Residents of Seochang-dong strongly expressed their opposition to the incineration plant construction, holding a “head-shaving protest against the incineration plant” in July and gathering 13,557 signatures in opposition.
All Seo-gu council members expressed deep regret over Gwangju city’s administrative procedures that ignore residents’ opinions, although they agree on the necessity of building an incineration plant due to the government’s amendment of the “Waste Management Act Enforcement Rules,” which bans direct landfill of combustible household waste starting in 2030.
Councilor Ahn Hyeong-ju, who proposed the resolution, stated, “Gwangju city promises more than 100 billion won in support to the selected site area and uses this to incite competition among landowners to attract the incineration plant, thereby escalating conflicts among residents.”
He continued, “In the Seochang-dong area, a private incineration facility that has exceeded its 10-year durability processes 72 tons of business waste daily, yet residents have received no compensation, and the passage of waste transport vehicles poses accident risks to nearby residents and road users.”
Furthermore, he pointed out that “since the area is a flight zone where chimneys cannot be built over 45 meters, the directly affected areas of Geumho, Sangmu, and Pungam-dong would be exposed to carcinogenic smoke, making the construction of the Seochang-dong resource recovery facility inappropriate.”
The Seo-gu Council of Gwangju emphasized that the resource recovery facility should be built in a location desired by residents and urged the city of Gwangju to conduct all procedures, including site selection, fairly and transparently.
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