A review of the National Eco-Industrial Park Development Program in Korea: Progress and achievements in the first phase, 2005-2010

Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the first phase of the Korean National Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) Development Program from 2005 to 2010. The main objectives of this review are to introduce how Korea established its own approach to nationwide eco-industrial development and to examine the program's successes and limiting factors to draw lessons about how industrial symbiosis can be developed successfully elsewhere. The Korean EIP program emerged from a context of 50 years of industrial development to transform traditional industrial structures into EIPs using cleaner production at the industrial park level. During the first five years, regional EIP centers established at five pilot sites developed and implemented 47 resource-sharing projects, which generated considerable economic and environmental benefits. This was possible due to an institutional system that effectively combined top-down and bottom-up approaches and to the mediating role of regional EIP centers, which bring together local stakeholders from businesses, governments, and research organizations. By learning during the first phase, Korea has established its own model for eco-industrial development that will continue to develop during the second and third phases.