IKSAN, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — The appearance of an otter, a sign of a healthy environment, served as welcome news on Thursday to the residents of the small village of Jangjeom in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.
Jangjeom has been stigmatized as a ‘cancer village’ after a cluster of cancer patients emerged following the opening of a fertilizer factory in 2001.
A total of 16 residents died of varied types of cancerous diseases including liver cancer and skin cancer, and several more are still fighting the disease.
Reportedly, from 2001, when the factory opened, until 2017, 22 of the 99 residents of Jangjeom were diagnosed with cancer.
The cause of the cancer outbreak turned out to be tobacco leaf residue. The fertilizer plant used tobacco leaves illegally in the process of making compost and released carcinogens, such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The mood has been grim there, but a ray of hope was discovered in a ditch along a village road on Thursday.
A resident happened to encounter four otters — appearing to be a family — in a ditch used as an agricultural waterway. Expressing his surprise, the resident who took the picture of them, said, “With this incident, I hope the village will be able to escape the stigma of the ‘cancer-causing village.’”
River otters live in fresh and brackish water habitats. The emergence of otters is accepted as a sign of ecological recovery.
Class 1 endangered otters are designated as Natural Monument No. 330 in South Korea.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
