Korea strengthens regulations on plants that violate emission standards for POPs

On June 10, 2022, the Ministry of the Environment of South Korea published and enforced the revised “Persistent Organic Pollutants Control Act” (Act No. 18911). In this amendment, the content of the regulation was strengthened for the plants that violate the emission standards for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Specifically, in the event that the plant fails to fulfill a corrective order issued by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry will have strengthened administrative sanctions against the plants that routinely violate the emission standards by providing for a system that allows the Ministry to order the plants to suspend use of such facilities and by restricting the system that allows the plants to pay an administrative surcharge in lieu of complying with the suspension of use order.

In addition, legal provisions have been established for the smooth application in Korea of provisions related to the types of POPs and exemptions stipulated in the Stockholm Convention and the Minamata Convention.

The main content of the amendment is as follows: