"Eco-friendly Smelter" Emphasized by Yeungpoong... Actual Contaminated Soil Remediation Plan Requested as "Trade Secret," Withheld from Public

*This content was translated by AI.

Yeungpoong promoted its smelter in the United States as an "eco-friendly smelter," but it is reported that when requests were made to disclose the status and implementation plan for remediating contaminated soil at the Seokpo Smelter, the company requested non-disclosure on grounds of business and operational secrets.

The Gyeongbuk Administrative Review Committee (Gyeongbuk ARC) ruled last month to cancel the partial disclosure decision regarding information related to the Seokpo Smelter that had been issued by Bonghwa County Mayor (Bonghwa County) to a resident A from Gyeongbuk Province. In January, A had requested comprehensive data concerning: the contract status of internal and external soil remediation companies at the Seokpo Smelter; the current status of contaminated soil remediation implementation; grounds for extending the internal contaminated soil remediation period; and measures taken following the expiration of the contaminated soil remediation order.

Upon being notified of the information disclosure request by Bonghwa County, Yeungpoong Seokpo Smelter reportedly submitted an opinion requesting that all relevant data be kept non-disclosed. Subsequently, it is reported that Bonghwa County disclosed only some of the data, while withholding core materials such as land remediation verification information and related documents to verify the effectiveness of the remediation work, as well as the contaminated soil remediation implementation plan.

At that time, Yeungpoong reportedly argued that the land remediation verification data included corporate information such as the locations of smelter buildings and facilities, and that the methods and procedures for soil remediation fell under business and operational secrets between Yeungpoong and external remediation companies. Bonghwa County appears to have accepted this reasoning and decided not to disclose the information. In response, A filed a request with the Gyeongbuk ARC to cancel the partial disclosure decision.

However, the Gyeongbuk ARC did not accept these arguments from Yeungpoong and Bonghwa County. It is difficult to definitively classify the location of smelter buildings or facilities as highly sensitive business and operational secrets that must not be disclosed externally, nor was it specifically proven how disclosing the data would "significantly" infringe upon Yeungpoong's legitimate interests.

Furthermore, the committee emphasized that the soil remediation verification data constitutes objective data confirming whether contaminated soil remediation work has been properly completed in accordance with legal standards.

The committee also determined that the contaminated soil remediation implementation plan cannot be viewed as a simple internal corporate document. It explained that since it is directly linked to the protection of residents' lives, health, and property, its public interest nature far outweighs private corporate information.

Consequently, the Gyeongbuk ARC stated that allowing residents to monitor and verify whether appropriate remediation methods have been established and whether actual remediation is proceeding according to plan falls under the citizens' right to know and a major public interest in environmental protection. The committee concluded that this public interest far exceeds the business interests Yeungpoong seeks to protect through non-disclosure.

Moreover, the committee pointed out that even if some parts of the data contain sensitive facility information or cost details, this does not justify withholding the entire dataset. It explained that after redacting only those specific portions, core environmental information such as remediation methods, scope, duration, contamination measurement results, and verification conclusions could be disclosed.

Previously, it was revealed that Yeungpoong had promoted the Seokpo Smelter as an "eco-friendly smelter" at a reception in the United States related to Korea Zinc's key mineral smelter operations. Yeungpoong and MBK Partners (MBK) held a "Project Crucible Support Reception" on the 9th (local time) in Tennessee, USA.

At this event, Jang Se-hwan, Executive Vice President of Yeungpoong E&I, reportedly introduced himself as Executive Vice President of the Yeungpoong Group and described the Yeungpoong Seokpo Smelter as a "world-class eco-friendly smelter." According to attendees, he stated, "Since 2019, Yeungpoong has undertaken various environmental improvement projects and large-scale investments," and added that "as a result, the Seokpo Smelter has transformed into a world-class eco-friendly smelter."

Yeungpoong was also found to have understated provisions for environmental improvements at the Seokpo Smelter and soil remediation, leading to a penalty of 20.4 billion won being imposed by the Financial Services Commission (FSC). Additionally, the FSC issued a recommendation for dismissal regarding Jeon (CEO) director.

An industry official stated, "Information related to contamination is core data for judging whether residents' living environments and health and property protection are ensured; shielding it under the broad pretext of corporate trade secrets cannot align with the principles of information disclosure and corporate social responsibility." The official added, "The Gyeongbuk ARC's decision this time serves as a case confirming that information affecting industries such as the environment cannot be entirely concealed simply because it is labeled as corporate trade secrets."

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*This content was translated by AI.