• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.195-209
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• 2001

The objective of this study is intended to propose plans for reforming environmental impact assessment(EIA) systems by reviewing the current legal systems of EIA related laws and their implementation status in Korea, and by comparing the Korean situation to EIA systems in several foreign countries. This study tried to integrate all EIA related systems scattered over several laws into one comprehensive EIA law, and also to develop legal procedures necessary to accomplish the legislative purpose of the integrated EIA law. Therefore, I propose four reforms (1) All EIA systems should be integrated into one comprehensive EIA act. (2) Administrative plans and policies, though environmentally harmful, which are not currently subject to any prior consultation system, should be covered by the prior consultation system. (3) A screening or scoping should be adopted. (4) Widen civil participation should be encouraged and the administrative control enforcement and introduction of group litigation or citizen suits would be considered.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.49-54
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• 1995

Most of the solid waste has been land-filed as an ultimate disposal method in Korea, with might induce many environmental problems by generating odor, particulates and leachate. The landfill site should be considered as a kind of pleasant facility to neighboring residents. Currently, for a landfill site, while the environmental law requires to perform the EIA before the planning. EIA has been performed after the selection of the landfill-site. That might be controversal to the purpose of doing EIA. In this study, the weakness of the EIA for the landfill-site was analysed and was suggested for comprehensive EIA in Korea as well.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.431-444
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• 2017

This study was carried out to review the guidelines being used by law and national policy concerned on river environments management and suggest the applicability of newly developed river environment assessment system. In the current legal system, the national river environment management system is insufficient in securing an independent status in the legal institutional system which is separated to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Environment. And the river environment assessment system of the national standard, which is a core matter, has not been established yet. In particular, there is a lack of integrated approach between the upper and lower plan or related plans on water resources, water quality, river environment and aquatic ecosystem management. In addition, the consistency and effectiveness as the process of planning and design according to the current status and comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the river environment were not secured either. To integrate national river environment management system and improve efficiency, I proposed the establishment of hierarchy and connection between national river plans, and the adoption and application of developed assessment system based on characteristics of river environment in Korea. Finally, I proposed the separated application with dividing the developed assessment system including the naturalness of river environment and suitability of water friendly activity into both assessment method for management plan of water resources of river basins & basic river plan respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.296-314
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• 2014

In recent years, Ministry of Environment (MOE) has been implementing a phased strengthening of the effluent standards for sewage treatment plants. In this regard, a comprehensive system should be developed to help check the appropriateness of such standards by specifying the grounds for standard-setting and investigating the current operation of sewage treatment plants clearly. It is necessary to establish a new standard-setting system for the effluent that is in a closer connection with the environmental criteria and rating systems. In the United States, the federal government provides guidelines on the least provisions and requirements for the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). Local governments set the same or stricter guidelines that reflect the characteristics of each state. In Japan, the sewage treatment plants are subject to both the effluent standards and the discharge acceptable limits to pubic waters under the sewerage law. Specific requirements and limits are set in accordance with local government regulations. The European Union imposes sewage treatment plants with different provisions for effluent standards, depending on the sensitivity of public waters to eutrophication. The effluent standards for sewage treatment plants are classified by pollutant loads discharged to receiving waters. MOE also needs to introduce systems for setting new parameter standards on a POTW effluent by applying statistical means and treatment efficiencies or optimal treatment techniques, as seen in the cases of the US National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) or the EU Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC).