"Otters repeatedly spotted in the Nakdong River in front of Youngpoong Seokpo Smelter"

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Youngpoong stated that otters, a species of endangered wildlife, have been captured on camera year-round in the Nakdong River near the Youngpoong Seokpo Smelter, indicating that the area has established itself as a stable habitat.

According to Youngpoong, starting with the capture of an otter family foraging on ice in January this year, sightings continued in May, June, and July, followed by the observation of a pair of otters in the Nakdong River in front of Plant 3 on October 27. Since January 2022, the animals have consistently appeared regardless of the season for several years, becoming a familiar part of daily life for smelter employees and local residents. Otters are a representative indicator species demonstrating the health of river ecosystems.

This change is interpreted as the result of large-scale environmental improvement investments promoted by the Seokpo Smelter. In May 2021, the Seokpo Smelter became the first smelter in the world to introduce a "Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system," investing approximately 47.5 billion won to reprocess all process wastewater for reuse as process water rather than discharging it externally. Additionally, following the formulation of an "Environmental Improvement Innovation Plan" in 2019, the company has invested a cumulative total of approximately 540 billion won in environmental areas such as water quality, air, and soil through 2025.

According to National Water Quality Monitoring Network survey results, all major heavy metals recorded levels "below the quantification limit," indicating good water quality, and a Youngpoong official expressed the company's will for continuous environmental management for ecosystem conservation. Established in 1970, the Seokpo Smelter is Korea's first modern zinc smelter, which served as the foundation for the establishment of Korea Zinc in 1974.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original