10,000 Tons of Trash Neglected for 5 Years; Lawsuits Loom Amid Responsibility Dispute

Over 10,000 tons of illegal waste have been accumulating on a factory site in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, for five years. The owner, who leased the land to operators intending to build a factory, belatedly discovered that the factory was never operated and that trash from across the country was secretly dumped there.

Five years ago, dumpers leased the land and, within three months, piled up approximately 11,000 tons of waste, including used plastic, discarded electronics, and construction debris. Transport drivers were complicit in the crime after being offered illegal dumping fees that were cheaper than incineration. While the waste dumping ringleaders were criminally prosecuted for violating the Waste Management Act, civil litigation regarding restoration costs is ongoing.

The landowner has been struggling for three years, pursuing a lawsuit to hold parties responsible for the restoration costs to return the site to its original condition. Nationwide, the problem of 250,000 tons of illegal waste being left as 'trash mountains' continues annually, out of a total of 1.9 million tons generated.