Tropical Storm Washes Up Marine Trash on Busan’s Songjeong Beach

Old fishing nets, construction materials, wood, snack bags, beverage cans, plastic bottles, and plastic bags were found among the massive amount of trash. (Yonhap)

BUSAN, Jul. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Busan’s Songjeong Beach was met by a sudden deluge of marine waste on Monday morning after Typhoon Danas disappeared on Saturday, leaving behind marine trash that washed up on the beach.

Some 100 people including employees of the beach management office, maritime life guards, and surfers pitched in to clean up the trash.

Old fishing nets, construction materials, wood, snack bags, beverage cans, plastic bottles, and plastic bags were found among the massive amount of trash. The trash easily filled up more than 100 gunny sacks.

Songjeong Beach is no stranger to “trash waves,” since marine waste typically washes up on the beach whenever there is a tropical storm.

“Once there is a tropical storm, the trash piles up at the shore for the next three days,” said Shin Seong-jae, head of the Songjeong Surfing Association.

Haeundae Beach, located close to Songjeong, also collected 8 tons of trash on Sunday, and 30 tons on Monday.

“Marine trash coming from rivers or ships that normally drifts in wide areas in the sea gathered into a sizable concentration and was carried to the shore by big waves caused by the tropical storm,” said Prof. Oh Seok-jin from Pukyong National University.

“The massive amount of waste that ends up on the beach represents only a tiny fraction of the entire marine garbage patch, which shows how serious the problem is.”

Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)