Port workers' health protection and improved working conditions cited as key goals

Workers remove asbestos materials, a known carcinogen, at a facility operated by the Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority.
Workers remove asbestos materials, a known carcinogen, at a facility operated by the Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority.

The Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority (YGPA), led by President Choi Gwan-ho, said it has completed a phased asbestos removal project at port facilities — an effort that began in 2017 to protect the health of port workers and create a safer working environment.

Following the enactment of the Asbestos Safety Management Act in 2012, YGPA conducted a comprehensive survey of all buildings within the Yeosu Gwangyang port complex. It then carried out asbestos removal work in order of priority over 10 years beginning in 2017, fully clearing all asbestos-containing building materials from the port.

The completion marks the first time a port facility in the country has finished such a project. Its significance lies in the approach: a sustained, long-term process of comprehensive investigation, planning, priority management and phased removal, rather than a short-term fix.

Asbestos was once widely used in ceiling and exterior building materials but has since been identified as a hazardous substance linked to lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Its use and retail distribution are now banned.

"We did not simply manage asbestos materials in place," a YGPA official said. "We directly surveyed the asbestos situation across all buildings at the port and drew up a long-term removal plan to carry the project through."


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