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The site of the former US Forces Korea Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office in Busan

Dioxin, a Group 1 carcinogen, has reportedly been detected at a former US military base site in Busan that was returned four years ago.

“Dioxin has been detected at the US Forces Korea Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) in the Gaegeum and Danggam neighborhoods of the Busanjin district in the heart of downtown Busan,” Green Korea United said on June 12.

“The soil contamination is severe,” the group added. This marks the second time that dioxin has been detected at a returned US military base, after a previous discovery at Camp Market in Incheon’s Bupyeong district.

The group also alleged that the Ministry of Environment (MOE) failed to disclose the findings of an investigation into dioxin contamination last year, with the announcement of its detection coming only belatedly on June 10 during an on-site briefing by the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC). KRC has been commissioning a cleanup effort on the site. The MOE study detected dioxin at depths of up to one meter below the surface of the soil. A total of 817 cubic meters of soil was reportedly found to be contaminated, or over 50 25-ton dump trucks’ worth.

At 34,925㎡ in area, the returned US military base site in Busan is equivalent in size to roughly five soccer fields. It was used by the US military from April 1973 to August 2006; since March 2015, it has been in the possession of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). The site has been effectively abandoned for over 10 years since the base was shut down in 2008. It is currently littered with garbage and waste matter, with numerous apartments and multiplex housing units located in the vicinity.

“As dioxin is a Group 1 carcinogen, the cause of the inflow is something that needs to be clearly ascertained regardless of the amount detected,” Green Korea United said.

“This site was neglected for four years after its return as MOLIT and the Ministry of National Defense put off responsibility for the environmental cleanup. The effects of that have been visited on the residents,” the group added.

MOLIT and MOE plan to begin a cleanup of the dioxin-contaminated soil next month, with heavy metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and other contaminants to be removed from the site through May of next year. Around 75% of the site’s area is to be used for railway facilities, and the remaining 25% for an athletic park.

By Park Ki-yong, staff reporter

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