13,000 Tons of Waste Unearthed from Farmland... Illegal Burial in Jeju for Three Years

Arrested for Illegal Waste Burial Over Three Years
Heavy Equipment Operator and Landowner Among Five Booked for Conspiracy

The head of a stone product manufacturing company in Jeju has been arrested on charges of illegally burying a large amount of industrial waste on farmland. Four other individuals involved in the crime have also been booked and are under investigation.

A Jeju Autonomous Police officer is inspecting an illegal farmland reclamation site in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City. Jeju Autonomous Police

On September 1, the Jeju Autonomous Police announced that they had arrested a man in his 70s, referred to as Mr. A, on suspicion of violating the Act on the Control and Aggravated Punishment of Environmental Crimes and the Waste Control Act. Four others, identified as Mr. B, a factory manager in his 60s; Mr. C, a heavy equipment company owner in his 40s; Mr. D, a landowner in his 40s; and Mr. E, a waste transport driver in his 40s, are being investigated without detention.

According to police, from April 2022 to April this year, Mr. A and his associates illegally buried approximately 13,000 tons of waste generated from stone processing on five farmland plots (about 4,959 square meters) located in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City, over a period of about three years. This amount is equivalent to about 450 loads by a 25-ton dump truck.

This case came to light after the Jeju Autonomous Police received a tip-off in May and, in cooperation with the Jeju City Environmental Guidance Division, conducted on-site excavation and questioned those involved, thereby uncovering the full extent of the crime.

Investigation results revealed that the illegal burial began when factory manager Mr. B, seeking to reduce waste disposal costs, asked Mr. C to find a place to dispose of the waste. Mr. C then introduced landowner Mr. D, who wanted to fill his land, and together, they conspired to illegally bring in and bury the waste.

In particular, company head Mr. A was found to have been involved in all aspects of the crime, effectively leading the operation by providing excavator and dump truck rental fees as well as fuel costs.

The waste was buried up to a depth of about 8.5 meters underground, and in some areas, the farmland has become virtually unusable. The Jeju Autonomous Police determined this to be a serious environmental violation beyond a simple legal offense and applied aggravated punishment provisions under relevant laws.

During the investigation, it was also revealed that Mr. C had illegally quarried rocks for three years without a permit on his own forest land in Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo City. He is suspected of selling approximately 1,900 truckloads of rock, worth about 550 million won, to Mr. A's company and others, and has been additionally charged with violating the Mountainous Districts Management Act.

The Jeju Autonomous Police stated that they detected attempts by Mr. A and his associates to coordinate their statements in preparation for the investigation, as well as efforts to destroy evidence by covering the damaged landfill sites with soil. The police are expanding their investigation, suspecting that there may be other similar companies that have not properly disposed of waste stone and sludge from stone processing.