Incheon is pursuing regulatory reform and field surveys simultaneously as it moves to shift its approach to soil contamination from reactive cleanup to proactive prevention.
The city continues to push for legislative changes to stop long-term non-compliance with cleanup orders, while launching a sweeping survey of 130 sites deemed at risk of contamination.
Under the current Soil Environment Conservation Act, authorities can order the party responsible for soil contamination to carry out remediation once pollution is confirmed.
Critics have long argued, however, that the law lacks effective tools to compel compliance when those orders are ignored.
Some businesses have left sites unattended for extended periods without even submitting a remediation plan, raising fairness concerns against operators who diligently fulfill their cleanup obligations.
In response, Incheon formally petitioned the National Assembly and the central government last year to improve the regulatory system and strengthen the enforceability of cleanup orders.
The centerpiece of the proposal is establishing a legal basis for imposing a compulsory compliance levy on parties that fail to carry out cleanup orders.
A partial amendment to the Soil Environment Conservation Act incorporating that measure was introduced by Park Chan-dae, who was then a National Assembly lawmaker and is now Incheon's mayor.
Assembly member Lee Yong-woo and others subsequently introduced additional amendment bills expanding the scope of the levy. The two bills are currently undergoing consolidated review in the relevant standing committee.
Incheon also pressed the case for the compulsory levy at a National Assembly forum held late last year, and has continued to call for legislative action.
Alongside the regulatory push, the city is stepping up preventive efforts to detect soil contamination early.
From April through October, the city is conducting a survey of 130 sites with a high risk of contamination — including gas stations, factory zones, industrial complexes, children's playgrounds and areas slated for development.
The survey covers 23 items in total, including soil acidity (pH), heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, benzene and toluene (BTEX), and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH).
To improve the reliability of the survey, the city provided advance training to civil servants in each district on how to select survey points and conduct assessments.
Sites where results exceed the threshold for soil contamination concern will be reported to the relevant district, which will then carry out a detailed soil investigation and remediation without delay.
"Soil contamination requires enormous time and cost to remediate once it occurs, which makes prevention and early detection paramount," said Yoon Eun-ju, head of Incheon's environmental safety division. "We will pursue regulatory reform to strengthen the enforceability of cleanup orders alongside systematic field surveys, so that residents can feel safe in their living environment."
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
