A bill that would allow the imposition of enforcement surcharges on Booyoung Housing, which has left the contaminated soil at the planned site of the Songdo Theme Park in Incheon unattended for seven years, has been introduced in the National Assembly.
Chandae Park, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Yeonsu-gap, Incheon, announced on the 29th that he had introduced a proposed amendment to the Soil Environment Conservation Act. The bill aims to resolve the long-standing issue of contaminated soil and to strengthen the effectiveness of soil remediation obligations.
The proposed amendment stipulates that enforcement surcharges can be imposed on those responsible for remediation if they fail to carry out soil cleanup measures. The surcharge can be up to 25% of the remediation cost and may be imposed repeatedly in cases of continued non-compliance.
The bill also focuses on encouraging voluntary compliance and increasing effectiveness by requiring a 30-day advance notice before imposing the surcharge on those who fail to remediate, and by stipulating that the collection of surcharges will cease once remediation is completed.
Park, who currently serves as acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, explained that he introduced the amendment to hold Booyoung Housing legally accountable for neglecting contaminated soil in his constituency of Yeonsu-gu.
Since December 2018, Booyoung Housing has received four separate orders from Yeonsu-gu to remediate contaminated soil at the planned theme park site near the former Songdo Amusement Park, but has not conducted any cleanup work. According to a soil survey report released in 2021, the 386,449-square-meter site was found to contain levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), lead, and fluoride exceeding regulatory standards.
In October last year, the Supreme Court finalized a guilty verdict against Booyoung Housing for violating the first order, imposing a fine of 10 million won. However, even after the Supreme Court ruling, Booyoung, as the party responsible for remediation, reportedly ignored the fourth remediation order issued in March this year and failed to submit a remediation plan or related documents.
Park stated, "I hope that normalizing the theme park development project, which has been halted due to contaminated soil, will help fulfill a long-standing wish of Yeonsu-gu's original downtown and lay the foundation for its rebirth as a tourism hub." He added, "There needs to be a shift in perception so that soil environment protection is seen not merely as a legal obligation, but as a social responsibility."
The Environmental Policy Advisory Group of Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, held a press conference in November last year urging Booyoung Housing to clean up the contaminated soil at the planned site for the Songdo Amusement Park. Provided by Yeonsu-gu, Incheon
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
