Response of People Forced to Coexist with Pollution: Focused on Pollution Problems and Residents’ Movements in the Onsan Area

This study deals with the anti-pollution movement of residents that occurred after the creation of the Onsan Industrial Complex, a non-ferrous metal base. The residents’ movement, which was developed in the form of a compensation movement or migration movement for pollution damage, was sometimes criticized in that it was far from the fundamental solution of the pollution problem. However, the fact that the residents’ movement has such characteristics is related to the industrialization process in Korea. In the case of Onsan Industrial Complex, the government unilaterally decided to build a non-ferrous metal base. In addition, by building a factory in a village where residents live, residents had to coexist with factories and pollution. The residents were ignorant of pollution, and pollution permeated their daily lives. I’ve gotten used to the invisible damage. Conversely, it showed a great response to immediate property losses. They demanded damages from companies that discharged the causative substances, and continued to occupy the office and protest. When Onsan disease became known to the world in 1985, solidarity among anti-communist organizations began. However, the purpose of each movement was different, so there was also division in the residents’ movement. Residents have been campaigning for compensation and migration for more than 10 years since the first pollution damage occurred. They prioritized ending the current situation through migration and returning to daily life rather than fundamental solutions to pollution problems.