"Yeongpung Seokpo Smelter Turn Off Sulfuric Acid Detector and Operate"... "10 Days of Fishing Suspension" is likely to be added.

The Ministry of Environment said it has additionally found that the Yeongpo Seokpo Smelter in Gyeongsangbuk-do violated the terms of the environmental pollution facility integration permit.

In an occasional inspection conducted by the Daegu Regional Environment Agency on the 4th, it was confirmed that the Yeongpung Seokpo Smelter operated with 7 out of 11 sulfuric acid gas detectors turned off, and one of them had a broken display board.

It also explained that it is subject to a "10-day suspension of operations" as it is the second violation of the integrated permit conditions since it was caught for not operating ammonia removal facilities at all times in May last year.

The Ministry of Environment decided to make a final decision on whether to suspend operations after hearing the smelter's explanation according to the procedure.Under the

Act on the Integrated Management of Environmental Pollution Facilities', businesses that fail to comply with the integrated permit conditions will be issued a warning for the first time, a 10-day suspension for the second time, a 1-month suspension for the third time, and a 3-month suspension for the fourth time.

Apart from the incident, the smelter was recently sentenced to a "two-month suspension" by the Supreme Court after it was found to have discharged wastewater without permission in 2019.