Wanted: Illegal Waste Dumpers...Up to 100 Million Won Reward for Public Tips

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 31st that it has established a "manhunt plan for illegal waste dumpers and reward program for public informants" and will track down and punish illegal waste dumpers to the end.
This follows Governor Lee Jae-myung's directive last month to "proceed with issuing wanted notices for illegal waste dumpers and provide rewards to public informants."

Under this plan, the province has allocated up to 100 million won in public information rewards for five areas within the province that have faced difficulties in restoration work as perpetrators have not been identified for several years.
The manhunt areas are garbage mountains where no perpetrators have been identified since initial discovery: ▲Hyangnnam-eup, Hwaseong City (discovered May 2017, 380 tons of waste synthetic resin dumped, waste disposal completed) ▲Cheongsan-myeon, Yeoncheon County (discovered May 2018, 200 tons of mixed waste dumped, waste disposal completed) ▲Yeoncheon-eup, Yeoncheon County (discovered May 2018, 300 tons of mixed waste, waste disposal in progress) ▲Hwahyeon-myeon, Pocheon City (discovered August 2018, 738 tons of waste synthetic fiber, waste disposal in progress) ▲Ildong-myeon, Pocheon City (discovered November 2018, 78 tons of waste synthetic fiber, waste disposal in progress). These areas were first detected 1 to 3 years ago.

Tips regarding these areas can be submitted through visits or mail to the Province's Resource Circulation Division and city/county environmental departments, or through the Gyeonggi Province public information hotline "Fair Gyeonggi 2580." The identity of informants is absolutely guaranteed, and informants may disclose their personal information to an attorney and have the report handled by proxy. When submitting a tip, materials proving the dumping activity such as an illegal activity report, evidence of violation, and site photos must be submitted. Subsequently, informants can receive up to 100 million won (if a sentence of 7 years or more is handed down) in rewards following "deliberation by the Gyeonggi Province Public Information Support Committee" based on the court's judgment results. For more information, contact the Province's Resource Circulation Division (031-8008-3471) or each city/county environmental department.

To activate public reporting, the province will post banners centered in dumping areas, produce and distribute flyers, run video advertisements on G-buses, and promote the program through city/county community newsletters.

Additionally, a dedicated task force within the Special Prosecutors Office will operate until the end of the year. The task force will conduct ▲investigations of railroad sites to prevent new occurrences ▲investigations of abandoned and dumped waste based on complaints and tips ▲investigations of existing garbage mountains to determine responsibility for treatment.

Um Jin-seop, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Environmental Bureau, stated, "Illegal waste dumping undermines residents' quality of life, causes secondary environmental pollution, and generates crime proceeds, creating significant social problems," and added, "We will track down perpetrators to the end and have them face justice, and will concentrate all administrative efforts on strengthening enforcement systems and activating public information reporting to eradicate illegal dumping."

Meanwhile, illegal waste dumping in the province last year reached 92 locations with approximately 750,000 tons, of which about 600,000 tons have been disposed of, but over 140,000 tons of waste remain unprocessed.