How Jeollanam-do Plans to Reduce Marine Waste with a Record 441 Billion Won Budget in 2026

Jeollanam-do will invest a record 441 hundred million KRW (approximately $33,075,000) this year—56 hundred million KRW more than last year (approximately $4,200,000)—to establish a full life-cycle management system covering generation, collection and disposal, and to implement a net-reduction policy aimed at shrinking the existing stock of marine debris.
 
Because Jeollanam-do contains 44% of South Korea’s coastline and 64% of its islands, the province generates roughly 46,000 tonnes of marine debris annually, accounting for the largest share nationwide (56%).
 
To tackle this, the provincial government is moving beyond a collection-only approach and building a management system focused on achieving a net decrease in existing marine litter.

Last year officials collected 52,000 tonnes of debris—112% of the annual generation—marking the first time collection exceeded generation. Building on that achievement, the province raised this year’s collection target to 59,000 tonnes.
 
Jeollanam-do will pursue three core strategies: strengthen land- and sea-based source controls; develop efficient collection and recycling infrastructure; and expand public participation and interagency cooperation.

First, the province will reinforce source controls on land and at sea to block waste inflows. It plans to expand trash barriers at major estuaries, such as the Yeongsan River, to proactively prevent land-based garbage from reaching coastal waters.
 
The province will also strengthen sea-based source management by funding a fishing-gear deposit-return program (21 hundred million KRW; approximately $1,575,000) and distributing certified buoys (342 hundred million KRW; approximately $25,650,000) to encourage voluntary recovery of discarded gear. In areas that receive large inflows of foreign debris—such as Sinan and Wando—officials will deploy time-series monitoring systems using AI and drones to scientifically manage collection blind spots.
 
Jeollanam-do will also upgrade its collection system and management infrastructure. During the National Assembly’s budget review, an additional 5 hundred million KRW (approximately $375,000) was approved for vulnerable-coast cleanup, enabling the province to expand its coastal-environment guard force and tighten continuous collection networks. The province will complete detailed design this year for a new 150-ton-class multipurpose cleaning vessel (a 75 hundred million KRW investment; approximately $5,625,000) to replace the current 28-year-old cleanup ship, with construction planned through 2028.
 
The province will expand resource circulation through public participation and partnerships. By strengthening links with public collection points, officials aim to raise recycled volumes of discarded nets and ropes from 20 tonnes last year to 200 tonnes this year—a tenfold increase.
 
At the same time, Jeollanam-do will operate a monthly “Coastal Cleanup Day” to broaden citizen involvement and work with agencies such as the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation to deliver education that raises public awareness of marine conservation.
 
Park Young-chae, director of Jeollanam-do’s Ocean and Fisheries Bureau, said, “Jeollanam’s seas are a treasure trove of Korean seafood and a vital asset for the future. With the largest budget in history, we will significantly reduce the current volume of marine debris and deliver visibly cleaner seas for residents.”