Jinju City, South Korea, and the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO) formalized an agreement on February 25th to combat the circulation of counterfeit waste disposal bags, a growing problem nationwide. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) aims to establish a system for authenticating and tracking the bags, commonly used for household waste collection.
The agreement was signed by Jinju Mayor Cho Kyu-il and KOMSCO President Seong Chang-hoon, along with five representatives from both organizations, according to a statement released by Jinju City on February 26th. The collaboration will focus on preventing the illegal distribution of the bags and building a robust authentication system.
Recent increases in the nationwide circulation of forged and illicit waste disposal bags prompted the need for enhanced countermeasures at the local government level, officials stated. Jinju City is taking a proactive approach by becoming the first municipality in the country to apply KOMSCO’s patented security technology to its waste disposal bags.
The planned system will allow citizens to verify the authenticity of the bags using their smartphones, increasing trust in the waste management process. The security-enhanced bags are expected to be available to the public after March, according to Jinju City.
Beyond preventing fraud, the partnership extends to collaboration on carbon neutrality initiatives and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management practices, as outlined in a statement by KOMSCO. The agreement also seeks to prevent revenue leakage associated with the illicit bag sales.
KOMSCO and Jinju City will cooperate on technical aspects and establish a stable operational framework for the new system. The initiative is intended to strengthen the integrity of waste disposal management and enhance administrative trust, positioning Jinju as a “smart resource circulation leading city,” according to city officials.
