ANSAN — In a continued effort to foster a pristine coastline, South Chungcheong Province (Chungnam) and Gyeonggi Province teamed up for their fifth joint marine debris collection and treatment operation on Pungdo Island.

On October 7, the two provincial governments deployed their dedicated vessels—Chungnam’s environmental cleanup and transport ship, the Neulpurun Chungnam-ho, and Gyeonggi’s marine debris collection vessel, the Gyeonggi Cheongjeong-ho. Together, they targeted and collected neglected trash stranded along maritime boundary areas where the jurisdiction was previously unclear.

The joint operation followed a streamlined, cooperative workflow: the Neulpurun Chungnam-ho gathered marine debris from the boundary island region and transported it to the pier, where it was transferred to the Gyeonggi Cheongjeong-ho. The Gyeonggi vessel then hauled the waste to the Ansan City collection yard for final disposal by the city.

This inter-provincial marine debris initiative began following a formal agreement in 2023. Since then, the two provinces have successfully completed four operations totaling 64 tons of waste, spanning Ansan's Pungdo Island (initially), Seosan's Garorim Bay in 2024, and both Pungdo Island and Dangjin's Daenanjido Island in 2025.

Earlier this March, officials met to discuss expanding regular joint responses and building a sustainable cooperative framework, culminating in a working-level agreement last August to launch this latest campaign.

Chungnam Province plans to continue conducting joint collection activities centered around maritime boundary zones, taking into account the movement patterns and distribution characteristics of marine debris, while further strengthening inter-agency cooperation.

"Because marine debris travels across administrative boundaries, joint responses between neighboring local governments are crucial," said Lim Sung-beom, Head of the Marine Policy Division at Chungnam Province. "We will continue to reinforce cooperation not only between Chungnam and Gyeonggi, but also with other neighboring authorities like Jeonbuk, to create a clean and safe West Sea while preserving fishery resources and boosting marine tourism."

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