District 4

4CE-F

Azurin, Jared Brax

De Leon, Christian Lloyd
Fernandez, Emmanuel Patrick Jeremiah
Ferrer, Sheim Lennart
Jotojot, Ella
Onofre, Steven Leeward
Virrey, Christian Phol

Saltwater Issues in South Korea

1. Groundwater salinization in coastal aquifers because of seawater intrusion has raised
serious concerns worldwide since it deteriorates the quality of drinking water and thereby
threatens sustainable economic development. In particular, this problem has been a
cause of growing concern in the western coastal regions of South Korea.

2. Korea has a 97% water supply rate and almost all Koreans have no problem getting
water supply. However, groundwater has long been an important water resource in the
mountainous areas and islands. In 2012, the Groundwater Act was revised to provide a
legal basis to install groundwater reservoirs to secure stable water resources and
prepare for drought. The Ministry of Environment selected eight candidate islands to
supply water and prevent salt intrusion. The first two groundwater reservoirs on islands
will be completed in 2020 and 2021.

3. Korea has been developing and using some alternative water resources, such as
wastewater reuse, seawater desalination, groundwater reservoir, riverbank filtration and
rainwater harvesting to supply water in areas of islands, coasts and mountains where it
is difficult to secure water resources, increase the efficiency of water use and diversify
water resources in the country and will continue further development.

4. Busan Metropolitan City completed a seawater desalination facility in 2014 to produce

45,000 tons of tap water and supply to 50,000 households. However, after 5 years of
controversial debate, the seawater desalination facility, located 11km from Gori Nuclear
Power Plant, was decided to use the water completely for industrial water because of the
distrust and concern of citizens, such as radioactive contamination and so on.

5. In South Korea, seawater intrusion has been an issue on Jeju Island and in coastal
regions of mainland South Korea . Early studies on seawater intrusion in South Korea
focused on the volcanic Jeju Island . The primary source of drinking water on this island
is groundwater, and therefore, groundwater management has been a very important
issue on the island. With the rapid growth of the economy of this island, the island has
witnessed significant development, particularly in terms of leisure facilities and
 agriculture. Exploitation of groundwater near coastal areas have caused seawater
intrusion, particularly in the eastern parts of the island. While studies on the groundwater
on Jeju Island are considerably important in this regard, the general application of the
study results to other regions of mainland South Korea is limited because the island has
a unique geological feature: it mainly comprises basaltic lava flows and a smaller amount
of pyroclastics and sedimentary rocks

6. Coastal water quality is also categorized in three classes. About 35% of the coast meets
the highest standard, for Class I. About 55% is in Class II and the remaining 10% is in
the lowest grade, Class III. “Red tides” of decomposing algae, resulting from nutrient
pollution from agricultural and other sources, are also occurring in some coastal waters
and impose a considerable economic cost on fisheries and aquaculture. The Ministry of
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has formulated the National Marine Environment
Preservation Plan to restore and maintain coastal water quality. Five severely affected
areas, including Masan-Chinhae Bay on the south coast and the Incheon-Sihwa area
near Seoul, were designated “Specially Managed Seas” under the Marine Pollution
Prevention Act in 2000. Four other areas were designated “Environment Preservation
Seas” the same year, to preserve their pristine environment.

7.