Ulju County in Ulsan said Wednesday that it will respond strongly to illegal development activities, including large-scale illegal soil dumping that has recently occurred across the region, under a zero-tolerance principle.
The county has issued restoration orders for illegal development activities carried out at three sites in the Naewa-ri area of Duseo-myeon and has completed filing criminal complaints with judicial authorities. The county plans to finalize its handling once the original source of the unsuitable soil (illegal waste) is identified, depending on the results of the police investigation.
However, as the final administrative measures are expected to take considerable time, the county is pursuing preemptive preventive measures to block additional damage. In particular, to prevent secondary environmental contamination from leachate runoff during the coming rainy season, the county plans to urgently install waterproof sheets at the site after consulting with waste disposal experts.
Earlier, the county held a joint emergency response meeting of relevant departments on Sunday, presided over by Deputy County Mayor Noh Dong-wan, and established an inter-departmental cooperation system to crack down on illegal and unauthorized soil dumping and minimize environmental contamination.
At the meeting, strong measures to prevent recurrence were discussed. Key items include conducting regular education for village heads in towns and townships, operating a constant surveillance system through the formation of "resident vigilante groups" at the village level, and constant monitoring by responsible officials throughout the entire development process (farmland improvement) before, during, and after construction. In addition, the county is actively reviewing a plan to grant special judicial police authority to responsible officials for effective enforcement.
"Illegal development activities that ruin fertile soil in farmland and forests and threaten residents' safety are serious crimes," an Ulju County official said. "We will continue strong administrative and judicial measures to root out illegal activities."
