Kim Woni Hails Rejection of Mokpo Medical Waste Incinerator as "Victory for Citizens"

Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office Decides "Project Proposal Not Approved"
"Will Pursue Institutional Reforms to Prevent Similar Cases from Reoccurring"

Assemblyman Kim Won, who has opposed the installation of a medical waste incineration plant near the Mokpo Daeyang Industrial Complex.

The plan to build a medical waste incineration plant near the Daeyang Industrial Complex in Mokpo, Jeonnam has been scrapped due to opposition from citizens and political circles.

On July 31, Kim Won-i, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Mokpo, Jeonnam, commented on the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office's official rejection of the project proposal, calling it "a valuable achievement accomplished together with the citizens."

The Environmental Office reportedly decided to reject the incinerator project proposal on administrative grounds, citing several reasons: discrepancies in the design documents, a plan so poorly prepared that it could not be revised, and an excessively expanded scope of waste treatment.

The proposed incinerator was a large-scale high-temperature facility capable of processing 48 tons of medical waste per day?more than ten times the daily amount generated in Mokpo (approximately 4 tons). This raised significant concerns that a large volume of medical waste from the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions could be brought into Mokpo.

Since confirming the submission of the project proposal in November 2023, Kim, together with city and provincial council members, has led strong opposition activities. These included issuing statements against the project, visiting the Environmental Office to protest, and conveying the opinions of local residents.

In particular, Kim has continuously pointed out the loophole in the current law, which allows incinerators with a capacity of less than 100 tons to bypass the process of gathering residents' opinions, and has emphasized the need for institutional reform.

Kim stated, "This is a meaningful decision that has protected Mokpo's healthy future through the power of its citizens," and added, "I will work to improve the system so that similar cases do not recur and will do my utmost to protect the health of citizens and the local environment."