A time capsule, buried 20 years ago by 10,000 residents of Seo-gu, Incheon, was ultimately incinerated without being opened.
On the 5th, Seo-gu, Incheon, announced that it had incinerated the time capsule buried in 2005 at Gajwa Ium Forest Park.
The time capsule contained letters with wishes and pledges left by over 10,000 residents in celebration of the completion of the first phase of Gajwa Ium Forest 20 years ago.
Earlier, at the Community Day event in 2015, Seo-gu partially opened the time capsule but had to cancel plans to fully disclose it this year after confirming that rainwater had entered and damaged the letters.
Seo-gu later confirmed that the pesticide naphthalene used when the time capsule was buried is classified as a toxic substance, and disposed of it by incineration at a high temperature of 1,200℃.
Recently, through a notice on its website, Seo-gu explained, "The time capsule (letters and naphthalene) was sealed in a shrink film inside a concrete box underground and sealed with reinforced glass. However, over the past 20 years, the entry of rainwater caused the naphthalene to deteriorate, damaging the time capsule."
It continued, "We learned that naphthalene has been classified as a toxic substance since Dec. 7, 2022," and added, "We quickly collected and transported the contaminated time capsule for disposal in accordance with designated waste disposal procedures."
It expressed, "Unforeseen situations occurred due to climate change," and offered a sincere apology for not being able to fully deliver the items inside the time capsule that contained the heartfelt sentiments of the residents.