Residents’ Opposition Grows as Complete Withdrawal Demanded for Songjuk-ri Waste Facility in Naju

Following City Council Opposition, Residents and Civic Groups Cite “Environmental Damage”
“2010 Agreement Does Not Reflect Current Residents’ Will”
“Odor, Large Vehicles, Influx of Outside Waste... Call for Cancellation”

Opposition from residents is growing over the planned installation of an industrial waste intermediate treatment facility in Songjuk-ri, Wanggok-myeon, Naju, South Jeolla Province. Following the Naju City Council’s adoption of a resolution against the project on November 28, residents and civic groups on December 5 issued a statement demanding the complete withdrawal of the plan.

Residents are issuing a statement opposing the establishment of a waste intermediate treatment facility in Songjuk-ri in front of the Gongsan-myeon Administrative Welfare Center. Provided by the Countermeasure Committee

The Comprehensive Odor Countermeasure Committee (representing Gongsan, Wanggok, Donggang, Bannam, and Dasi) urged, in a statement released on the same day, “Naju City must immediately withdraw the plan for a waste intermediate treatment facility in Songjuk-ri.” The committee expressed concerns about environmental damage, including odor, dust, wastewater, and increased large vehicle traffic, noting that the facility’s planned capacity-72 tons of general waste and 200 tons of sludge-far exceeds local waste generation, making it highly likely that waste from outside the region would be brought in.

The committee also raised issues with the “coexistence agreement” from around 2010, which has been cited as the basis for the project. The committee stated, “The agreement at that time was an incomplete consensus that did not reflect resident harm or local conditions,” adding, “It cannot serve as grounds for promoting a large-scale waste facility.”

Lee Gyejun, head of Songjuk 3-ri, commented on the validity of the agreement, saying, “We believe there was no resident consent process for the coexistence agreement at the time,” and emphasized, “This issue will affect not only Wanggok-myeon but the entire city of Naju.” He called on residents to unite in opposition.

Residents argue that the Wanggok and Gongsan areas are already regions where complaints have accumulated due to livestock manure odors and construction waste treatment facilities. The committee stressed, “Introducing a new waste facility when existing environmental burdens have not been resolved demands excessive sacrifice from residents.”

Previously, on November 28, the Naju City Council unanimously adopted a “Resolution Opposing the Installation of the Songjuk-ri Incineration Plant” in a plenary session, declaring that “the lives and safety of residents must be given top priority.” Furthermore, during the Urban Management Plan Amendment Review by the Agriculture and Construction Committee on December 1, the need to gather opinions from Gongsan-myeon residents was raised, with the committee noting, “It is difficult to see the 2010 agreement as reflecting the current will of the residents.”

Meanwhile, according to a “Conditional Approval Notice for the Waste Treatment Business Plan” sent by Naju City to the project operator on December 12, 2023, the operator must complete the permit application with the same facilities, equipment, and functional capabilities as stated in the business plan within three years from the date of receiving the correction report (by December 2026). If the procedures are not completed within the deadline, the conditional approval will become void.

The conditional approval document specifies that numerous permits and procedures are mandatory for the project, including the construction of an access road, review of the urban management plan, collection of resident opinions and submission of a coexistence agreement, small-scale environmental impact assessment, integrated permit for emission facilities, building permit (or notification), permit for forest land conversion, preliminary disaster impact assessment, and consultation on small river area designation.

The Comprehensive Odor Countermeasure Committee reiterated, “This is an issue that concerns the future of our children,” and again demanded the immediate cancellation of the Songjuk-ri waste intermediate treatment facility plan.