Incheon Metropolitan City special judicial police officers conduct an on-site inspection of a wood processing facility in the city. (Not directly related to this article) [Provided by Incheon city government]
Incheon Metropolitan City special judicial police officers conduct an on-site inspection of a wood processing facility in the city. (Not directly related to this article) [Provided by Incheon city government]

Five wood processing businesses in Incheon have been caught illegally releasing air pollutants or violating related regulations in a sweep by local authorities.

The Incheon Metropolitan City Special Judicial Police announced Thursday that it had launched investigations into five wood processing facilities in the city on charges including violations of the Clean Air Conservation Act.

The crackdown was conducted jointly with the city's Air Quality Conservation Division and district offices. Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 8, investigators inspected 42 sawmill operators in the city, focusing on whether facilities were operating without proper registration, whether pollution-control equipment was functioning normally, and whether businesses were complying with self-measurement and operation-start reporting requirements.

Among the key violations, one business was cited for failing to report the start of operations to its district office despite having installed air emission and control facilities, and another was cited for failing to carry out mandatory periodic self-measurements of air pollutants.

Two other businesses were cited for neglecting damaged or broken emission and control equipment, and one was cited for failing to complete legally required training for its environmental technicians.

Under the Clean Air Conservation Act, operating an emission facility without filing an operation-start report carries a penalty of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,460).

Refusing or failing to conduct self-measurements of air pollutants carries a heavier penalty of up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.

The special judicial police said they would thoroughly investigate whether the violations were intentional before referring the cases to prosecutors.

Separately, administrative measures including warnings and fines will be imposed through the relevant district offices at the same time.

"Wood processing facilities can generate large amounts of fine dust and air pollutants, making stricter management essential," said Choe Jong-mun, head of the Incheon city special judicial police division.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com