Environment ministry plans joint Nakdong River spill drill

The environment ministry said it will conduct a joint emergency spill-response drill in Daegu on the Nakdong River on Aug. 19, testing the response to a simulated diesel leak during the 2026 Ulchi exercise.

The exercise near Samunjin Bridge in Dalseong County assumes damage to Seongju Bridge causes a tanker truck to overturn, leaking about 2,000 liters of diesel into the Nakdong River's main channel.

The participating institutions are the ministry, the Daegu Regional Environmental Office, the Korea Environment Corp., the Nakdong River Water Environment Center, Daegu city, Dalseong County, Dalseo Fire Station, the Korea Rural Community Corp. and the Second Operations Command. They will assess rescue operations and deploy oil booms and absorbent pads to control the spill. The drill will also examine containment lines and the collection and analysis of river samples.

"Because the Nakdong River is a major source of drinking water for people in the Yeongnam region, it is very important to have a fully prepared response system for water-pollution accidents in an emergency," Kim Eun-kyung, water environment policy director at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, said.

"Through this joint drill held in connection with the Ulchi exercise, we will further solidify the cooperative system among relevant institutions and continue to protect a clean and safe water environment in which the public can feel reassured," she said.