Climate Ministry Reveals 158 Violations of Construction Waste Law, Including Major Firms

Hyosung Heavy Industries, Daebang Construction, and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) are among the 158 entities publicly identified for violating the construction waste law last year.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that it will disclose the names of the corporations, project names, violations, and penalties for these infractions from January to December 2025 on its website for one year starting from May 28.

This disclosure represents approximately 13.1% of the total 1,203 violations of the construction waste law recorded last year, a decrease of 14.1% from the previous year's 184 cases. The disclosed violations include administrative penalties, prison sentences, fines, and fines of less than 10 million won.

The list includes private construction companies such as Hyosung Heavy Industries, Daebang Construction, Jungheung Construction, and Kyeryong Construction Industry, as well as public enterprises like LH's Southern and Northern Gyeonggi regional headquarters, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and Korea Expressway Corporation's Gimpo-Paju construction project team. Local public enterprises such as Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation and Incheon Urban Corporation are also included.

By type of violator, waste generators accounted for the largest share with 78 cases, followed by collection and transportation companies with 48 cases, and intermediate processing companies with 32 cases. In terms of penalties, there were 55 administrative penalties, 2 fines, and 101 fines.

Among specific violations, waste generators had the highest number of infractions related to non-compliance with construction waste storage standards, totaling 61 cases. Collection and transportation companies reported 28 cases of violations, including exceeding waste acceptance limits and delays in processing, as well as environmental contamination. Intermediate processing companies had the most cases of failing to comply with permit changes, with 13 instances.

Notably, many of the disclosed violations focused on inadequate site management, such as non-compliance with storage standards and delays in processing, rather than illegal dumping, highlighting the need for strengthened management systems at each stage of construction.

Kim Go-eung, director of the Resource Circulation Bureau at the Ministry, stated, "Construction waste accounts for about 36% of total waste generation, so transparent and lawful management from the generation stage to final disposal is essential. We will prevent similar violations from recurring through the disclosure of violations and enhanced on-site training."