The Korea Local Administration Review

The attitude toward obnoxious facilities has changed nowadays. Environmental projects cannot be promoted arbitrarily without resident involvement or information disclosure, and obnoxious facilities with absolute needs are approached accordingly since the early stage. In other words, there is an emphasis on fair treatment of burden and gain and meaningful involvement.
Accordingly, this study examined from the location selection process to the current state for Jecheon Resource Management Center based on the theory of environmental justice. First, Jecheon city induced equitable distribution between environmental burden and gain by suggesting various measures before commencing the project. Second, resident involvement was encouraged on all levels and in the entire process, ranging from preparation to completion. A task force team was organized to take charge of promoting the project. All of the information was disclosed and shared to secure transparency and resolve the problem of information asymmetry. Procedural justice was thereby achieved. Third, various efforts were placed after the completion of the resource management center to cut the city budget and attain substantive justice by reducing the environmental pollution. Besides reducing the environmental load, the project also affected ecological justice by recycling resources.
The four factors of environmental justice were interconnected. This study showed that obnoxious facilities can be installed without the resistance of residents if the government persuades residents based on fair treatment and meaningful involvement.