Hitejinro and Oriental Brewery are in conflict with Cheongju over the installation of a recycling sorting center in the Hyeondo Industrial Complex in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The two companies demanded a halt to construction, while the city argues the project has no legal issues. Both sides are awaiting the results of an application for a stay of execution and an administrative suit.
◇ Two companies say "procedural violations" vs. Cheongju says "explained in court"
According to industry sources on the 27th, the two companies held a joint rally on the 25th in front of Cheongju City Hall to oppose the installation of the sorting center, demanding a halt to construction and a full review of the plan. They raised possible violations of the obligation under the Food Sanitation Act to maintain distance from contaminating facilities, as well as the potential for production disruptions and brand damage. They also argued that if a sorting center is built near the plants, it would be difficult to guarantee food safety due to the inflow of odors, dust, and bioaerosols.
The two companies point to the lack of a reevaluation as the core issue, despite the fact that the current project differs in nature from the existing environmental impact assessment. The site underwent an environmental impact assessment in 1991 on the premise of a waste landfill facility when the industrial complex was created, but they say the sorting center now being pursued is a facility that handles household waste from across Cheongju, meaning the environmental impact has fundamentally changed.
They also raised the issue of changing the use of the existing landfill. The facility was established to handle waste generated within the industrial complex itself, and they argue that converting it into a sorting facility to handle external household waste does not align with its founding purpose. Accordingly, they said procedures are needed to comprehensively review site suitability, consultations with tenant corporations, and the collection of resident opinions. They also argue there is a potential illegality in changing the project implementer under the Industrial Sites and Development Act. In an already completed industrial complex, excluding the existing project implementer—tenant corporations—and designating Cheongju as the project implementer does not meet legal requirements, and they say no hearing procedure was conducted in the process.
Cheongju, on the other hand, refuted the companies' claims, saying a recycling sorting facility is not subject to an environmental impact assessment. The city also said the alleged violation of the Industrial Sites and Development Act stems from a misunderstanding of legal interpretation. A Cheongju official said, "The lawsuits filed by the two companies are underway, and we have already sufficiently explained the matter during the trial," adding, "This facility sorts recyclables such as PET bottles and plastic, not food waste or general waste, and is similar in concept to an apartment recycling station." In fact, according to the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the targets are specified as waste treatment facilities, incineration facilities, excreta treatment facilities, and food waste treatment facilities. Cheongju argues the recycling sorting center does not fall under these.
A Cheongju official said, "The administrative appeal and the application to suspend construction execution filed by the two companies were recently dismissed by the court," adding, "As a state-funded project promoted under the standards of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the project would already have been halted if there were legal issues."
The two companies have appealed the dismissal of the application to suspend construction execution. A Hitejinro official said, "There are aspects where tenant corporations were procedurally excluded. Related lawsuits are currently underway," adding, "Beyond the controversy over legal procedural violations, factors that may arise in the waste sorting process cannot be ruled out as potential variables that could affect production processes. This could lead to damage to consumer trust in the products."
◇ Political circles and environmental groups also oppose it… Cheongju says "a facility with no environmental problems"
The project is a resource-circulation policy funded by the central government. With a scale of 26.79 billion won, it aims for completion in 2027. In preparation for the end of the legal service life of the Hueam-dong recycling sorting facility (daily capacity 50 tons), which has been in operation since 2009, Cheongju has reviewed building a recycling sorting center since 2018 at sites including the Heungdeok-gu wide-area incineration facility and the Gangnae-myeon landfill site, but in 2022 selected the Hyeondo Industrial Complex as the final candidate site, citing limited space and other reasons.
The Oriental Brewery plant located 350 meters from the sorting center produces 20% to 30% of Oriental Brewery's total output. It supplies the South Chungcheong and central regions. The Hitejinro plant 900 meters away accounts for about 30% of the company's total production.
With the local elections in June approaching, preliminary candidates for Cheongju mayor and environmental and social groups are also calling for a halt to construction and a full review of the project. Park Wan-hee, a preliminary Cheongju mayoral candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, issued a statement on the 26th saying, "There was no proper prior study of the damage that food corporations just a few hundred meters away would suffer," adding, "Unilateral, uncommunicative administration that skips sufficient prior communication with local residents and corporations must stop."
Lee Jang-seop, also a Democratic Party preliminary candidate for Cheongju mayor, said in a commentary, "Construction is being pushed ahead without proper consultations not only with nearby corporations but also with local residents," adding, "At a time when we should be attracting quality corporations, the city is creating a situation that drives out long-standing local quality corporations that have contributed to revitalizing the local economy and creating jobs." The Cheongju-Chungbuk Federation for Environmental Movements also issued a statement the same day, saying, "Cheongju is pushing ahead with the construction of the Hyeondo recycling sorting center, ignoring the desperate voices of residents and threatening the right to livelihood of local corporations."
In response, a Cheongju official said, "During the project process, we attempted to consult with tenant corporations, but the corporations refused, and early this year, we also held talks through the mediation of North Chungcheong Province," adding, "Unlike landfills or incinerators, the recycling sorting center is a state-of-the-art facility with no environmental problems. We will proceed with construction as planned, aiming for completion in 2027."