Asbestos Protest in Seoul!
This month, South Korean civil society activists continued their high-profile campaign calling for wider recognition of the asbestos hazard in Asia, the world’s biggest consumer of asbestos, with a colorful protest in the South Korean capital.1
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 October 21, 2025. Asbestos Protest in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. Pictures courtesy of Asian Citizens' Center for Environmental Health (Eco-Health). |
According to the most recent available trade data, asbestos consumption in Asian countries (1,320,000 tonnes/t) accounted for 99.2% of all the asbestos used worldwide (1,330,000t) in 2022. The top 5 asbestos-using countries in the region were: India (424,000t), China (261,000t), Uzbekistan (108,000t), Indonesia (104,000t) and Thailand (35,300t); efforts to minimize toxic exposures in these countries are rare, and hazardous workplace and environmental exposures are routine.
The “Ban Asbestos from the Asia-Pacific Region” protest on October 21, 2025 was mounted by a coalition of grassroots groups and was coordinated by the Asian Citizens' Center for Environmental Health.2
 Eco-Health Director Choi Ye-yong addressing the Asbestos Protest in Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. October 21, 2025. Picture courtesy of Asian Citizens’ Center for Environmental Health (Eco-Health). |
Commenting on the activity, Director of Eco-Health Choi Ye-yong said:
“We are calling on APEC – the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum – to honor its remit to ‘promote balanced, sustainable, and inclusive growth’ by adopting policies to end consumption and eradicate asbestos materials incorporated within the infrastructures of its 21 member nations. If something is too dangerous to be used in the UK and Brazil, it is too dangerous to be used in India and China.
In a few days, APEC leaders will be gathering in Incheon, Busan & Gyeongju, South Korea for a series of high-level meetings culminating with the APEC annual summit which will consider ‘themes of sustainability, connectivity, and prosperity.’ The continued use of asbestos is contrary not just to APEC’s core objectives but also to the human rights of every individual. In January, 2026, provisions banning the use of asbestos in all projects financed by the Asian Development Bank will come into force. It is time for APEC and other regional bodies to do the right thing and mandate a regional ban on the use of asbestos.”3
October 23, 2025
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1 Asian Citizens’ Center for Environmental Health. [보도자료] APEC 캠페인2 - APEC은 석면위험없는 아시아태평양 공동체 만들어라 [[Press Release] APEC Campaign 2 - APEC: Create an Asia-Pacific Community Free of Asbestos]. October 20, 2025.
http://www.eco-health.org/bbs/board.php?bo_table=sub02_02&wr_id=1341
2 The supporters of this initiative included participants from the: Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV), National Network for Environmental Health, Asian Asbestos Abolition Network (ABAN), Korean Asbestos Abolition Network (BANKO), Seoul Federation for Environmental Movement, Asia Monitor Resource Center (AMRC), Humidifier Disinfectant Victims and Bereaved Families, Korean Federation for Environmental Movement Sea Committee.
3 Email received October 21, 2025 from Choi Ye-yong.
