Overview of the Policies for Phasing Out Ocean Dumping of Sewage Sludge in the Republic of Korea

Ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) that was treated in wastewater treatment plants in the Republic of Korea (ROK) began in 1993 and has sharply increased thereafter; this deteriorated the benthic environment of the dumping sites, consequently necessitating relevant policies to be developed to reduce dumping. This review introduces the outcomes of policies used to phase out ocean dumping of MSS in ROK and provides a method for improving contaminated environments. We first review a previous report submitted under the London Protocol in 2016 and then provide additional data collected since then. In addition, we introduce a scientific research result that reduced the concentration of harmful substances in the dumping sites by capping the dumping area. ROK established policies to phase out the dumping in 2006, which had immediate impacts, with dumping of MSS terminated in 2012. These policies were then expanded to terminate dumping of all types of sewage sludge in 2016, due to the fast and strict application of actions based on intergovernmental cooperation and societal consensus. In addition, the capping method that covered the contaminated sediments with dredged materials was effective. The success of the evaluated policies and research could be effectively applied to areas with similar circumstances.

Pacific Solidarity and Atomic Aggression

This chapter traces the emergence and evolution of a transnational movement opposing the planned dumping of Japanese radioactive waste material in the Pacific Ocean near the Mariana Trench. With its growing stockpile of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, in the 1970s Japanese officials hatched plans to dump radioactive material in steel canisters in the Pacific. In response, activists on islands in Micronesia mobilized in staunch opposition in the late 1970s. They were joined by Japanese antinuclear groups who brought Pacific activists to Japan to give speeches and lobby officials. The chapter explores how this transnational struggle was able to force a postponement and ultimately the abandonment of the ocean dumping plan. As with movements opposing industrial pollution export in the 1970s, this mobilization opened Japanese activists’ eyes to the nuclear victimization of Pacific peoples and, in turn, forced a reconsideration of Japan as the only victim of radiation worldwide.