OB Beer and HiteJinro opposed plans to build a living resource recovery center (recycling sorting center) in the Hyeondo general industrial complex in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, urging a halt to construction and a full review. The two companies said they would have no choice but to consider responses including closing or relocating their Cheongju plants if the project proceeds as it is.

According to the industry on March 25, OB Beer and HiteJinro held a joint rally in front of Cheongju City Hall and voiced opposition to the plan to build the recycling sorting center in the Hyeondo industrial complex. In a statement, the two companies said, "Cheongju City should stop one-sided administration and review the plan in consideration of the future of the industrial complex and the safety of residents and workers."

Cheongju City is pushing ahead with construction with completion targeted for 2027. Cheongju City said the recycling sorting center is a facility that sorts plastic bottles, waste paper and other items collected from detached-house neighborhoods. It said it is a new facility different from a landfill or incinerator. But it is clashing with HiteJinro and OB Beer over the site’s suitability because it would be installed near their factories.

OB Beer and HiteJinro said the planned site for the recycling sorting center is located near each company’s factory. It is about 350 metres from OB Beer’s Cheongju plant and about 900 metres from HiteJinro’s Cheongju plant. The companies believe that odor, dust and bioaerosols that could occur during waste sorting may have a negative impact on the food production environment.

The two companies said, "Food manufacturers have an obligation under the Food Sanitation Act to keep a distance from facilities that generate pollutants so as not to harm food." They said, "If pollutants generated during the waste sorting process enter the food manufacturing process, the possibility of an actual food safety risk cannot be ruled out."

They said they maintain hygiene and quality management systems, including HACCP certification, but that contamination factors entering from the external environment are outside what they can control. They said this could cause a serious management issue of a deteriorating production environment.

They also cited as a burden the structure in which a company must prove it is not at fault when consumer complaints arise. OB Beer and HiteJinro said, "If problems occur due to external environmental factors such as a waste sorting site, it is realistically very difficult to clearly explain them." They said, "This is an issue that can lead beyond product image to mass complaints, a decline in brand value and falling sales."

They also raised the issue of workers’ health rights. The company said a dormitory where workers at HiteJinro’s Cheongju plant live is adjacent to the facility, separated by a single wall. If more than 200 waste transport vehicles enter and exit a day, workers living in the dormitory could be constantly exposed to odor and dust.

The two companies stressed that Cheongju City has not sufficiently carried out related procedures under the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and the Industrial Sites and Development Act, and is pushing ahead with the project without prior consultation with tenant companies, workers and residents.

OB Beer and HiteJinro said, "If the project continues to be pushed forward without these issues being resolved, we will have no choice but to consider all response measures, including closure or relocation of the Cheongju plants, in order to comply with obligations under the Food Sanitation Act and secure a stable production environment." They added, "This is not simply a problem of installing a single waste sorting site but a serious matter directly linked to the local economy."

Cheongju City said it is a resource circulation project being pursued through lawful procedures. According to the industry, Cheongju City explained that it tried to consult with tenant companies during the project process, but the companies did not respond. It also stressed that the site is not subject to an environmental impact assessment, and that the companies’ request for a court injunction to suspend execution of the construction was dismissed.