Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

15 held for dumping poison into Han

Seoul prosecutors yesterday said they have indicted 15 people for dumping more than 270 tons of a toxic chemical (formaldehyde) into a tributary of the Han River, just three kilometers (1.9 miles) from locations where drinking water for Seoul is collected.

The prosecutors said the manufacturers used the chemical to treat wood used to make furniture and flooring. The manufacturers were capable of preventing the discharge into the streams, a prosecutor said. An official with the Han River Basin Environmental Office, Chung Yoon-soon, said the areas where the chemical was dumped are two or three kilometers from the source of Seoul's drinking water.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200311/02/200311022354215509900092309231.html

[lush72]

This was in the news 2 weeks ago, has there been an update? I am wondering where Green Korea is now? Helllllo? Green Korea... Where are you????
270 tons of diluted formaldehyde does seem a bit much... I remember Korean peolpe being enraged over another incident involving just a few gallons of diluted formaldehyde. One must wonder why is this not being reacted to in a similar fashon.

[just because]

Yeah, i read this. I don't drink the water as I've heard a few similar tales.
However, don't forget real reality that every developed and developing country is poisoning their air. So what do you say, "Dont breathe the air"??

[ratslash]

korean water is highly chlorinated anyway. it tastes like poo poo anyway. nevermind with tales of poo poo being dumped in the han.

[Juggertha]

has anyone else noticed that it does your skin alot of damage too? i've never had so many skin probs as i have since being here.

[buddy bradley]

[Ilsanman]

I have a bad shaving rash. It might be the water. Actually, good chances are that, it is.

[buddy bradley]

[scarneck]

[jajdude]

I remember a few years ago Koreans were really pissed off because an American (soldier I think) was caught dumping pollutants ( a few gallons perhaps) into the Han River! It's kind of like when you wake up and see your house is a mess and you say, damn, who did this? If someone else did it, all hell breaks loose. If you realize you did it yourself, well you laugh at it, that's OK. If a Korean (or North Korean, our precious kind brethren) does wrong it's easily forgiven. But if it's a foreigner..... well, you know what that means, if you've been in Korea a while.

[Bulsajo]

[ohahakehte]

its okay to drink it if its boiled though, right? hope so. i drink several cups of tea a day and i boil the tap water.

i havent found any skin problems here yet, but i have noticed that sometimes when its rainy and i go outside i get a headache. its happened twice already. might just be a coincidence, but then the air in seoul is just terrible.

its weird the difference in standards. toronto air is awful (especially on a hot, smoggy, humid day in august), but if we ever experienced a day of seoul air in toronto we would declare a national emergency.

[jajdude]

So it wasn't even a foreigner? LOL, didn't know that. I remember one of my housewife students remarked, "We should have a demonstration" regarding the great sin this "American miltary person" has done to our country! (Ok I embellished a bit)