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Rep. of Korea: Oil-soaked Taean still suffering

Pays
République de Corée
Sources
Chosun
Date de publication
Origine
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The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs announced its interim report on the effects of contamination from last December's oil spill off the coast of Taean, South Chungcheong Province. The ministry said fish caught off the affected coast of Taean, including flounder, were safe to consume since they possessed levels of hazardous substances that were similar to those caught in clean areas. This is very fortunate. Consumers need to get past their biases regarding fish caught off the western coast and the government should come up with measures to promote the sale of marine products caught in this region.

But the ministry said waters off some coastal areas were still polluted with residue from the spill, while sand in those regions possessed higher-than-standard levels of oil. That's why there are worries that 13 out of 28 beaches in the region may not be able to open this summer. One Taean resident said, "You can still see oil if you dig 40 to 50 cm under the sand." Out of 59 islands off the coast of Taean, 22 still have sticky oil residue left on their coastlines or cliffs. And as the weather warms up, the oil that had sunk into the sand or between rocks has begun to seep out into the ocean. There are fears of a second contamination.

It takes decades to restore marine ecosystems once they are destroyed. It cost W2.2 trillion (US$1=W1,000) in clean up efforts alone after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound off the coast of Alaska in 1989. But an inspection of 91 sites along the region's coastline 12 years after the accident showed 58 percent were still contaminated. An inspection of two sites in Yeosu in 2005, 10 years after the Sea Prince oil spill, yielded oil residue in both areas. This is how devastating marine contamination disasters are and why steady and persistent efforts must be made to restore the ecosystem.

The government has mobilized around 300 troops to conduct clean-up efforts, but they say that's far short of what is actually needed. And the volunteers who used to flock to the region in the tens of thousands every day have now slowed to around 1,000. But the maritime contamination has not ended in Taean. Not only the government but the entire public must not lose interest and keep pooling their strengths until a true miracle at Taean can be achieved.