BUSAN — A plan to build a regional municipal waste incinerator in Saenggok-dong, Gangseo District, Busan, has flared into open conflict again as a 2030 ban on sending household waste straight to landfills approaches. The city government has formally taken the position that the project must proceed at the designated site to avoid massive sunk costs and a waste disposal crisis. Politicians representing Gangseo District and residents of Eco Delta City counter that the decision was made unilaterally at the expense of local residents, and are demanding that the plan be scrapped and alternative sites reviewed.
At a background briefing in the press room at city hall on the 7th, Busan officials said the financial and social losses from abandoning the project would be unmanageable, and confirmed the city will push ahead at the existing site. The project, with a total budget of 315.8 billion won, calls for a regional treatment facility on about 60,000 square meters in Saenggok-dong that would incinerate 500 tons of household waste a day and generate energy.
The city stressed that it has followed proper and lawful procedures since 2017 on the premise that residents of Saenggok village would be relocated. As of August this year, 133 of the 162 households slated for relocation, or 82%, had moved out, and 91 billion won of the total 140.4 billion won relocation budget had been spent. If the project is halted, the city says, that money would be sunk, and there is also a possibility that original residents could return by exercising land repurchase rights after April 2030.
The city is also negative on moving to an alternative site. It said land set aside for support facilities at Gadeokdo New Airport sits only about 250 meters from the runway, raising aviation safety concerns, while the Janghang and Yulli village options would each add at least 15 years to the overall timeline because of land acquisition, compensation and local opposition. Choosing a new site, the city said, could delay completion of the facility past 2042.
The city also argues that costs would be passed on to residents if the city is left without an incinerator. If construction of a public incinerator is delayed, it said, the cost for districts and counties to outsource household waste treatment to private operators could rise more than tenfold from current levels, while treatment costs for traditional markets and businesses could more than double.
Politicians and residents in Gangseo District, however, dispute the city's reasoning itself. According to Rep. Kim Do-eup's office, the designated site is about 2.2 kilometers from the Hoban Summit complex in Eco Delta City and about 2.9 kilometers from water resource facilities. With 30,000 households and more than 76,000 people expected to live in Eco Delta City, the office argued, the siting of an incinerator should not be judged solely on administrative efficiency.
Kim's office particularly rejected the city's account of linking the relocation of Saenggok village residents to construction of the incinerator, saying the sequence does not hold up. According to materials from the office, the city decided on relocation in March 2017 because of poor existing housing conditions in Saenggok village, while the incinerator site was determined in June 2020. The relocation, the office argued, was not carried out solely for the incinerator.
The two sides also remain far apart over a dispute involving an alleged agreement to scrap the project under the previous mayor. The city says there is no official document ordering withdrawal of the project or a review of alternative sites. The office countered that minutes from the Busan Metropolitan Council's welfare and environment committee in November and December last year contain discussions of withdrawing the incinerator and pursuing an alternative site, and that consultations with former Mayor Park Heong-joon and a city site visit also took place.
The wrangling extended to the land for Gadeokdo New Airport support facilities. The city deems it unsuitable, citing proximity to the airport runway and the possibility of delaying development of an airport complex city. The office presented material saying the site covers about 1.254 million square meters, has no original residents, and is separated from Cheonseong Port by terrain including Ongjubong Peak. It also cited Incheon International Airport, which operates a resource recovery facility within its airport zone.
The dispute reignited on the 2nd of this month when Kim conveyed his opposition to Mayor Jeon Jae-soo at a budget and policy meeting in Seoul between the city and the People Power Party's Busan chapter. The following day, at a weekly policy meeting, the mayor signaled his intent to continue the project, saying enormous sunk costs had already been incurred and there would be no way out if the plan did not proceed as intended.
The city plans to build public acceptance through tighter environmental standards, the latest pollution control equipment, real-time disclosure of data via telemetry monitoring systems, and amenities for residents such as a swimming pool and an indoor gymnasium. It also plans to improve transport infrastructure, including a Gangseo Line tram and an Eco Delta City interchange.
Residents, however, say waste treatment cannot be foisted on Gangseo District alone. Kim's office said incinerating household waste is a long-term task for all of Busan, and that the city should choose a location that will not generate complaints permanently while also weighing public safety and regional fairness. The deadline for the landfill ban is drawing closer, but voices are emerging that scrutiny of the project's justification and the viability of alternative sites is only now beginning in earnest.
