Korea introduces a new non-compliance penalty system for failure to carry out soil remediation orders

On November 14, 2025, the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea announced that it had conducted a review of a proposed amendment to the Soil Environment Conservation Act. Under the current Act, where soil contamination is identified and exceeds the applicable standards, the competent authority may issue an order for soil remediation to the person responsible for the contamination or to the installer of a facility subject to specified soil contamination control. However, in practice, remediation orders often lack practical enforceability. While the actual cost of remediation is extremely high, the Act provides only criminal penalties: imprisonment for not more than two years or a fine not exceeding 20 million won, which is negligible compared to the cost of remediation.