A Gap Analysis in Selected Asian Countries, 3R Knowledge Hub ...

BACKGROUND
With a population of about 50 million in an
area of 98,480 km 2 , Korea has one of the
highest population densities in the world; 500
persons/km 2 . The annual rate of population
increase in Korea has dropped steadily from
more than 3% in the late 1950s to 0.42% in
2006. Urbanization of the country has
progressed rapidly since the 1960s, with
substantial migration from rural to urban
areas; 80% of the population is now classified
as urban. Majority of the population live in the
southern and western parts of the country.
The Republic of Korea, commonly known as
South Korea or just Korea, has a per capita
GDP of US$ 24,200, almost equal to some of
the smaller economies in the European Union.
This success was achieved by a system of close
government - business ties, including direct
credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of
specific industries and a strong labor effort.
The government promoted the import of raw
materials and technology at the expense of
consumer goods and encouraged savings and
investment over consumption. With
tremendous growth rates on par with some of
the western countries, Korea has been one of
the top performers in the Asian Continent.
However, the country has been experiencing
waste management issues owing to its high
population density and drastically changing
consumption patterns.
PRIORITY AREAS
The Korean Waste Management Act classifies
solid waste into three categories; household
waste, industrial waste and construction
3.9
Korea
debris. As a result of the government’s
aggressive policy initiatives to reduce solid
waste, daily household waste generation
nationwide has decreased from 75,000 to 49,000
tons over the last decade. However, as Korea’s
economy has rapidly developed, daily industrial
waste generation over the last 9 years has
increased by 113%, reaching 95,000 tons. In
addition, according to the Ministry of
Environment, generation of construction debris
has increased by 282% over the last five years,
reaching 108,000 tons per day.
The conscious efforts of the government in
reducing household waste have been fruitful.
Recycling of electrical and electronic wastes
such as home appliances has also yielded
positive results. However, industrial waste and
construction and demolition waste pose
imminent problems to the country and
necessitate priority action.
Chapter 3: Country Analysis
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