Government designates area a disaster zone


The government on Monday designated the area in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province hit by an acid leak a disaster zone amid criticism over its belated response to the incident.

Experts said it may take more than five years for the town to fully recover its agricultural land and crops, which are the main source of income and food for residents in the area.

The tardy response of the government and miscalculation by the state-run scientific institute is being blamed for the acid leak rapidly spreading to not only nearby residential areas and crops, but also streams.

Containing the leak with water as a means to clear the toxic gas in the atmosphere led it to flow into nearby streams, said Jung Soo-gun, director of Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.

Researchers noted that the hydrochloric acid should have been contained with lime when the leak occurred, instead of water, which ignited a chain reaction that appeared to have been an explosion.

Concerns are rising that the spread of the acid could reach the Nakdong River, the main source of water for Gumi, when it rains, Jung said.

Should this happen, the government and its crisis management unit will face tougher obstacles for recovery, he added.

The leak from a factory owned by Hube Korea, a chemicals manufacturer for displays, in an industrial complex some 150 meters from farmland and residential areas, has claimed five lives, with losses filed by local companies in the complex amounting to some 18 billion won ($16 million), according to the Gumi government.

Gumi has officially disclosed that 8 tons of the acid leaked.

But observers said it could be more given the level of damage outside of the complex. The toxic gas, hazardous to the skin, eyes and respiratory system, has affected not only crops and livestock, but also buildings and vehicles since the leak occurred on Sept. 27.

The Ministry of Environment has been criticized by a National Assembly committee for failing to respond rapidly to the situation, leading it to being called “incompetent.”

Some 300 local residents had decided by themselves to temporarily relocate, after Gumi called off the evacuation based on misinformation by the National Institute of Environmental Research.

Gumi marks the country’s fourth disaster zone ever proclaimed by the government, following the collapse of Sampoong Mall in Seoul, a forest fire in Gangwon Province and subway fire in Daegu.

Under the law, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’s emergency management unit has the authority to carry out measures in disaster zones.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)