Gwangyang City Fines Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority for Environmental Law Violation

Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority Violates Construction Waste Act

Gwangyang City in South Jeolla Province announced on January 22 that it had imposed a fine on Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority (hereinafter referred to as the "Port Authority") after confirming violations of the "Act on the Promotion of Recycling of Construction Waste" during the "Gwangyang Port Port-Related Site (Blocks 7 and 8) Development Project."

According to the city, the Port Authority had been carrying out the "Gwangyang Port Port-Related Site (Blocks 7 and 8) Development Project" from June 2023 to December 2024. The authority reported the waste discharge location as "Gwangyang Port Port-Related Site, Hwanggil-dong, Gwangyang City" and stated in the disposal plan that construction waste would be separated and sorted at the construction site and immediately processed.

Exterior view of Gwangyang City Hall.

In the report, "the site area" refers specifically to the construction site of the Gwangyang Port Port-Related Site (Blocks 7 and 8) Development Project. This complies with Article 13 of the Construction Waste Act, which requires waste to be discharged and processed by type and method at the site of generation.

However, the city's inspection revealed that the Port Authority had violated the legal requirement to process waste immediately at the site. Approximately 187 tons of construction waste (waste asphalt concrete and waste concrete) were moved and stored at the "Port-Related Site Phase 3-3," about 1 kilometer away from the designated discharge site (Blocks 7 and 8), before being sorted and processed.

A Gwangyang City official stated, "Transparent management of construction waste and compliance with the law are essential to protect the health and pleasant living environment of local residents. We will take strict action regarding this violation, and moving forward, we will further strengthen inspections and supervision of construction sites within the city to prevent similar incidents from recurring."