1-3. Overview of the Revised Air Pollution Control Act and Key Considerations for Factories

The Air Pollution Control Act (Air Pollution Control Act) is a fundamental environmental law that regulates the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, with the aim of protecting public health and preserving the living environment. It stipulates emission standards and measurement methods for fuels and chemicals used in factories and businesses, as well as exhaust gases from manufacturing processes. The 2025 amendment strengthened the scope and strictness of regulations in light of recent environmental risks and international greenhouse gas reduction targets. Factory environmental management personnel are now required to respond more meticulously than ever before.

There are three major points in this revision. First, the regulations on specific dust particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been expanded. While previously the regulations were mainly for large-scale facilities, the scope of application has now been expanded to include small and medium-sized businesses, and painting processes and chemical storage facilities are now also subject to monitoring. This will create a need for new emission control measures to be introduced in a variety of industries.

Second, monitoring of hazardous air pollutants has been strengthened. For substances known to be carcinogenic, such as benzene and trichloroethylene, a constant monitoring system must be established, and the obligation to install sampling and automatic measuring devices has been expanded. Accordingly, the storage period for emission concentration and measurement data has also been extended, and in addition to reporting to the government, companies may be required to disclose information to local residents.

Third, there are integrated regulations for greenhouse gases. CO₂ and methane, which were previously outside the scope of the Air Pollution Control Act, are now required to be tracked and reported for energy-related emissions at business establishments above a certain size. In conjunction with the Basic Act on Climate Change Countermeasures and the Energy Conservation Act, the formulation of emission reduction plans for each factory has become essential in practice. As a result, the role of the Air Pollution Control Act has expanded from its previous role of "local air pollution countermeasures" to "global-scale environmental response."

The first practical point that factories should be aware of is the need for capital investment. Updating exhaust gas treatment equipment and VOC recovery equipment, and introducing monitoring equipment will be a major burden, and delaying these measures will directly lead to administrative sanctions and requests for correction from business partners. Furthermore, strengthened regulations are not uniform, and additional regulations may be imposed by local governments, so it is essential to check the ordinances of each region.

Furthermore, many violations involve inadequate exhaust gas measurements and data falsification. There are numerous cases of delays in reporting due to insufficient measurement frequency or insufficient coordination with outsourced parties. In recent years, government checks have increasingly been conducted using drones and remote monitoring systems, making it easier to uncover fraud than with traditional "surprise inspections."

The response required of companies is centered on four points: (1) taking inventory of regulated substances and facilities, (2) strengthening monitoring systems, (3) formulating improvement plans to reduce emissions, and (4) providing thorough employee education. In particular, it is necessary to establish a company-wide system that involves the production and facility management departments, rather than leaving it to the environmental department alone.

The amendment to the Disaster Prevention Act is not just a legal requirement; it is also an opportunity to advance corporate environmental management. Going beyond compliance, companies can increase social trust and competitiveness by linking their emissions reduction results to ESG reporting and sustainability strategies.