ULSAN — Ulju County in Ulsan will lift ahead of schedule a blanket ban on farmland improvement work, or soil filling, that it had imposed to prevent contaminated soil from entering farmland and to stop illegal dumping. The county is shifting its management approach toward easing the restriction while sharply strengthening contamination testing and administrative penalties for plots suspected of unreported work.
Ulju County said on the 29th that the blanket ban on farmland improvement work within its jurisdiction will be lifted starting Oct. 1.
The county had originally planned to keep the restriction in place through the second half of this year. It moved the date forward to reduce constraints on residents' exercise of property rights caused by the prolonged regulation and to support normal farming activity in the autumn season.
Although the restriction is being lifted, follow-up enforcement will remain strict. Ulju County plans to complete measurements of fill height and detailed soil contamination tests by next month on 33 farmland plots where unreported soil filling was identified between January last year and this month.
For plots found in violation — those exceeding the height standard for farmland improvement or filled with unsuitable soil — the county will issue restoration orders and file criminal complaints under the relevant laws. It also plans to apply a zero-tolerance policy in enforcing administrative penalties on any future illegal activity, such as the dumping of contaminated soil.
"We decided to lift the restriction early to ease the inconvenience residents face in managing their farms," an Ulju County official said. "Through detailed testing, we will secure soil safety and continue guidance and oversight so that proper farmland improvement practices take root."
