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Emissions only monitored in Seoul area: report
South Korea is one of the world’s most advanced nations in terms of the management of waste and quality of drinking water, but it lacks capabilities to control excessive energy and resource consumption, as well as lagging behind in the inforcement of traffic, agriculture, and land use laws. Angel Gurria, new secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), on September 21, announced the findings in a report on South Korea’s environmental performance in 1997-2005 in a briefing room at the Gwacheon Government Complex. The report gave 54 recommendations after evaluating the nation’s environmental performance based on three categories: environmental management, sustainable development, and international cooperation. South Korea achieved "remarkable improvement" in the field of environmental management, according to the OECD report. By enforcing a waste disposal system based on citizens paying by volume, Korea’s total waste grew by 6 percent during the 1997-2005 period while its economy grew by 27 percent, "a rare accomplishment among OECD member nations," the report said. In addition, South Korea reduced sulfurous gas emissions to about half by supplying clean fuel, invested US$20 billion to expand facilities to deal with sewage, and institutionalized the management of river basins. The report, however, pointed out a number of problems, apparently due to Korea’s high population density among OECD member nations, as well as policy failures. The problems were also partly attributable to South Korea’s high ratio of manufacturing and energy-intensive industries.The amount of carbon dioxide emissions in Korea increased 98 percent between 1990 and 2003. Per capita emissions also went up 77 percent. During the OECD’s first evaluation in 1997, South Korea recorded close to that year’s OECD average of 0.64 metric tons yearly per US$1,000 of gross domestic product (GDP), but presently Korea’s figure is 0.51 tons, higher than the current OECD average of 0.45 tons. In the meantime, other member nations succeeded in achieving economic development while reducing or maintaining their level of carbon dioxide emissions. The report advised Seoul to prepare guidelines on greenhouse gas emissions for 2008. The air pollution of South Korean cities was considered the worst among OECD countries. According to the report, measures to improve air quality were focused on the Seoul metropolitan area, with problems in other major cities and industrial complexes ignored. The report also said that no attention has been paid to the effects of air pollution on the ecosystem of agricultural areas. For the sustainable management of water quality, the nation should employ policies considering the quality and quantity of water at the same time, said the report. Due to the excessive use of fertilizer, South Korea’s soil records the second highest level of nitrogen of OECD members. Though the use of chemical fertilizers have dropped, South Korean farmers use fertilizer derived from animal waste instead, which still bears high levels of nitrogen. South Korean has set aside only 9.6 percent of its land as protected, compared to the 13.7 percent average of European OECD member nations. Moreover, except for Mt. Seorak, South Korea’s level of biodiversity preservation was lower than international standards. In addition, the OECD report urged the South Korean government to introduce "green taxation," establish environmentally friendly traffic policies, and improve systems to prevent and resolve environmental conflicts. Minister of Environment Lee Chi-beom said, "We should follow the recommendations of the OECD to ensure sustainable development. In order to do so, we will positively cooperate with the concerned ministries."
