폐기물 해양투기 오염규제에 관한 연구

Abstract

This thesis has an aim to on the study the facts and problems of the ocean dumping in Korea, compare them with international trends and regulations, and analyze the cause for the problems of the waste disposal at sea in Korea. Ocean Dumping means any intentional disposal among several types of dumping at sea. Intention is the most important aspect when considering the subject of a regulation. In 1972 London Convention was signed as an international law related to the dumping of wastes at sea. Korea is dumping wastes at sea since 1988, pursuant to the Marine Pollution Prevention Act. However marine pollution is generated by dumping of wastes at the permitted sea area, due to continuously increasing amount of dumping annually, since then. The dumping of wastes at sea, without considering the capacity of marine environment shared by various nations, can damage neighboring nations and cause some international environmental disputes. Therefore China,Russia, North Korea and Japan, which share the West and East Sea withKorea, have to prepare a cooperative measure concerning the environmental pollution and geographical important around the surrounding sea area.

London Convention was established in 1972 and has been developed a few amendments since then. Ie included 'Precautionary Approach' and 'Polluter Pays Principle' among general duties of dumping activity. Also, it was intensified by United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that specified boundaries to the application of London Convention. Regional Conventions of the Europe headed by Oslo Dumping Convention have continued to expand their authorities and interests such as internal waters in wastes disposal at sea.

In Korea, ocean dumping has been enforced since 1988 which is based on 'Ocean Pollution Prevention Act' and 'Wastes Management Act'. Since then, the quantity of dumping was continuously increased and ocean pollution was noticed after all resulting from uncontrolled disposal. Especially, though acidic waste (pH<2.0) and basic waste(pH>12.5) forbidden by London Convention. But, they are still dumped and Korea is stingy of investing in waste treatment facility in land and further innovation. In case if sewage sludge which contained a great deal of heavy metals produced in a waste water treatment system of a livestock industry and excretion sewage is analogous to the above wastes.

To the contrary, advanced nations who play a leading role for London Convention have prohibited dumping noxious wastes in ocean. Therefore, if the present state of ocean dumping in Korea takes its own course, it would allow international community to impose restriction on ocean dumping in Korea. Nevertheless, Korea do not lift a hand in a concrete plan like treatment facility in land. On the contrary,administrative agencies give a tacit permission and induction to ocean dumping of noxious wastes. What is worse is that symptom of severepollution at some area is being discovered

Such problems are attributed to a few reasons, one of which is the conflict among administrative agencies' policy related to wastes dumping in ocean. Another is the conflicts between local self-government and central government. In addition, administration of dump site without deep consideration of environment and strategy is also responsible for the problems.