By Brooke Petersen

Sewage and waste disposal has been a continuing problem in Korea.

The state of Korea’s sewage and waste disposal system has been a raging topic of debate for the last 20 years and many opinions have been raised regarding its functionality and sanitization levels for its 49 million residents.

There is no doubt the Korean government has come far since the Korean War in building a satisfactory sanitization system, though walking through the streets of anywhere in downtown cities such as Gwangju, Seoul or Busan and smelling the rancid stench of sewage, the question remains: Have they really done enough?

For a country at the forefront of robotic and broadband technology, most of the basic needs of the people seem to have been overlooked. Every year the Korean government pumps more than 30 billion won ($26.7 million) into the ever-growing robotics market, and less into improving sewage treatment, 98 per cent of which is pumped into the Pacific Ocean every year from Korea and surrounding countries.

Even with budget increases in 2011 to ensure recovery to the economy, The Ministry of Strategy and Finance plans to cut its spending on desperately needed infrastructure like roads and sewage treatment by 3.2 percent to 24.3 trillion won. According to the Bank of South Korea’s Infrastructure Report for 2011, most of this money will be spent on upgrading the country’s bullet train network from Seoul to other cities to cut travel time and reduce carbon emissions, and expanding the country’s smart grid system.

Although this is good for public transport, baser needs like water pollution because of sewage overflow and littering are still in desperate need of attention, especially when the current garbage system appears to be failing.

Since January 1, 1995, when the Ministry of Environment introduced a “volume based waste collection fee system,” city dwellers are now required to buy special expensive color-coded trash bags to dispose of their solid household waste, but at about 9,000 won for three 50 liter bags, it approaches outrageous. However, the price of the bags includes the trash removal service and works on the assumption that if you consume less, then you pay less. Attempts to use anything other than these bags can result in fines of up to one million won and your trash left decaying on the street.

Although this is a great idea aimed at reducing the quantity of solid waste, it is completely undermined by individual product packaging, and the absence of street bins. One has only to walk the streets of any city in Korea to notice the heaped trash lying scattered on the ground.

About 98% of waste dumped in the Pacific is untreated, and Korea is among other Asian countries continuously contributing to this.

Last month, the issue was further highlighted by Pyeongtaek City personnel who accused American GIs living off-base of breaking the trash disposal laws. South Korean authorities said they were failing to use the trash bags required by Korean law and were not sorting recyclable items as required.

Pyeongtaek City’s waste management division manager, Lee Min-hyon, identified other areas where off-base U.S. military personnel were allegedly violating trash laws, including Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Seoul, Pyeongtaek, Waegwan and Daegu, though he said it was especially frequent in Pyeongtaek and Waegwan.

Although most off-base residents comply with the laws, he said others were continuing to abuse the system. He said that the violations have an even broader impact on the system since it increases local trash collection costs, increases municipal workload, poses damage to the environment, deprives the government of recyclable resources, and gives U.S. military personnel a bad name.

However it isn’t just the foreign influence making South Korea a dirty place. The country regularly comes under fire from the United Nations for its water standards, which are a direct result of its growing population and sewage problems. Sewage companies are usually unable to process the sheer amount of waste, and what they can’t maintain is pumped into other bodies of water, usually the ocean. Once in the ocean the waste can then flow into rivers and streams, which continue to hurt Korea’s fishing industry.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been on the case of Asian governments since the early 90’s to start cleaning up their acts. Pollution and marine contamination remains at the forefront of Asian environmental offences, something of which has continued to take centre stage in global politics since that time. In 1999 South Korea, Japan and China took steps by forming a joint commission, to address environmental problems, and in 2008 Korea boosted investment into renewable energy.

But for Korea, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Continuing irresponsible disposal of garbage and sewage into the Pacific ocean is removing labels like “paradise” from tourist-friendly islands like Jeju. UNEP executive director Klaus Toepfer told the Associated Press: “Small islands across the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific are some of the most vulnerable nations on Earth. Handling solid wastes from industry, households and tourism is emerging as another issue with which they need advice and help.” If not simply for the benefit of eradicating rancid sewage smells downtown, many have high hopes for more action.