By Via Korea Beat comes this translated article from the Hankooki Ilbo about foreign trash washing up on the shores of Southwestern Korea:
“Look at this, a bottle from the Phillipines. I know because I once went on a vacation there. That one there is Chinese, and it might not be heavy but picking up makes me exhausted. My whole body hurts.”
Knees bent under a clear blue sky on the beach, 70-year-old Park Chun-ja pounds the small of his back with one hand and picks something up with the other. It’s a plastic bottle with a yellow cap, and Mr. Park frowns. At his feet is spread out trash in various languages — motor oil containers, gas canisters, discarded packaging. Most of them are in Chinese or Japanese, while the rest are of indeterminate origin.
People in the area echoed Mr. Park’s speech. “There’s so much trash, it’s full of little rats and other animals.” “I get up at 6 am and go have a look without even eating breakfast come down to clean it up, won’t it ever end?” “If you try to go fishing you just pull in trash so I don’t even bother.”
On October 8 over 200 people met on the island of Wooi-do in Docho-myeon, Shinan-gun, in Jeollanam-do, to make war on trash from various countries. It was the second time this year. In May they hauled 35 tons in, but every month trash completely covers the 1.5-kilometer beach. Wooi-do is a part of what has been called the cleanest beach in the nation, the Dadohaehaesang National Park (다도해해상국립공원), and is an environmentally protected area (환경보호지역).
They are exhausted from the weight of the trash that comes from other nations through the waves. Where it had once come only from China and Japan it now comes from farther countries such as Indonesia. Yun Seul-ah, chief clerk with the Dadohaehaesang National Park, said, “of the trash that arrives at Wooi-do we picked up just the cigarette lighters and attempt to determine their origin, and found they had come from 11 countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, the Phillipines, and Indonesia… this trash is filling up the Dado area.” [Korea Beat]
Read the rest at the link and I’m sure it is frustrating for the local people that have to deal with all this trash, but considering how much trash Korea dumps into the ocean there is plenty that everyone can do to help clean up the oceans.
1:27 pm on October 17th, 2010 1
"…considering how much trash Korea dumps into the ocean there is plenty that everyone can do to help clean up the oceans."
Exactly.
2:25 pm on October 17th, 2010 2
More from the ECO-LOONS! When will they give up. Who cares about garbage in the ocean? Look up Pacific Garbage Patch. The animals love it. It provides shelter for small fish just like a coral reef!
I guess since the ECO-LOONS are falling out of favor with Global Warming, they have to start with the Garbage in the Ocean.
If you don't like to look at garbage in the ocean – go to the ocean at night!
9:44 am on October 18th, 2010 3
Lemmy what qualifies a 70 year old man complaining about garbage at his beach as an eco-loon? Just curious. Not like he is hugging trees.
10:08 am on October 18th, 2010 4
Having just returned from a weekend at the East Sea (Naksan Beach) I can attest that the shoreline is indeed covered in trash. Of course, none of it was floatsam from China. Rather it was firework shells, soju bottles, and assorted litter from beachside picnics left by the Korean citzenry.
I do admire much about the Korean people, but their propensity to trash the countryside is pretty disgusting.
10:24 am on October 18th, 2010 5
Just wait, sooner or later we'll get someone saying its the US Military's fault that there is so much trash on the beaches and coasts.
11:47 pm on October 20th, 2010 6
Wow,
They are blaming other countries for the trash that wash up on beaches? Particularly that one in Docho-Myeon, I ahve been to a few beaches here in Korea, and to be honest, they can blame for some, the actually look closer at the labeling on the bottle or plastic bag and more than likely you will see hangul, its sad yes, but to finger point at other countries is not too keen when they need to pick up their own countries trash which probably accounts for 80%. Look at the Beautiful lakes they have here in Korea. I see nothing but beautiful areas, then the "Trash", Yup That piece probably came from Indonesia, Oh, Hang on a sec, Wait, its a Local manufactured package of Chips, and theres a broken bottle that looks to be green…Hmmmm, SOju Bottle, I can tell by the frog on the cap!! Yeah they can say whos throwing trash in the Ocean..But they need to clean up the Blame first, Maybe they need to "Lead By Example". If they wopuld stop throwing or discarding their own trash everywhere, Every water area would be much nicer, Maybe tourists wouldn`t cut their feet. Even though I am a foreignor in this host country, we all need to do our part to clean up, Thats why wehn ever I have a chance to pick trash up when I go fishing, I do.
11:49 pm on October 20th, 2010 7
Sorry for the crap spelling..Had 1 too many bottles of soju, But hey, I put the bottles in the "Recycle" Bag…