A bird's eye view of Yeosu Industrial Complex in South Jeolla Province / Korea Times file



By Jun Ji-hye



LG Chem, Hanwha Chemical and another 233 companies operating factories mostly in the Yeosu Industrial Complex have been caught fabricating test results on levels of substances causing fine dust pollution, according to the Ministry of Environment, Wednesday.



The ministry said the companies colluded with firms offering services measuring air pollutants ― such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxide ― to deceive the government.



The environmental office tasked with managing the Yeongsangang River area has investigated 13 firms offering pollutant measuring services in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province since March last year, confirming that four of them forged the results of their tests.



The four companies gave fabricated results of air pollutant emission tests to 235 companies, operating factories mostly in the Yeosu Industrial Complex, for four years since 2015. The four sometimes issued reports without actually measuring any emissions.



Those in such a relationship with the four companies include SNNC and Daehan Cement as well as LG Chem and Hanwha Chemical, according to the ministry.



Through the fabricated results of the tests, companies avoided fines on emissions of sulfur oxides.





Choi Jong-won, who heads the environment office in charge of the Yeongsangang River area, announces the results of an investigation into companies offering air pollutant measuring services at the Government Complex in Sejong, Wednesday. / Yonhap