Public Waters Management Act.

The purpose of this Act is to provide for the conservation, utilization, and management of the public waters preventing or reducing pollution and to promote the use of such waters. "Public waters" in this Act means the state-owned oceans, rivers, lakes, and other surfaces or streams of the water and shores used for the public good those waters to which the Acts concerning rivers apply (art. 2). Article 3 specifies the waters that shall be managed by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and those managed by local authorities. Any person who intends to undertake any one of the actions specified in article 4 shall obtain the relevant permit from the Management Office as prescribed by the Presidential Decree, except where the permission is already obtained under the Public Waters Reclamation Act. Such actions include the construction, alteration, etc. of specified waterworks, the excavation of land below adjoining public waters below water level, water abstraction, water pollution, discharge, etc. Nobody shall pollute or undertake any other act in respect of public waters specified in article 9 without a justifiable reason.