A tanker accident off the western coast of South Korea in December 2007 resulted in the biggest oil spillage in the country's history. More than 10,000 metric tons of crude oil leaked from the damaged tanker and the black oilslick stretched over a distance of 150 kilometers across the Yellow Sea. A highly viscous blanket of oil collected for kilometers along the coast, which was a disaster for the population and animals living in the Taean region.

The fine beaches and conservation areas of this region some 120 kilometers of the capital Seoul attract millions of tourists every year. Thousands of people helped to clean up the coast. LANXESS Korea too took part in the salvage operation: Using cleaning cloths, some 30 employees spent two days cleaning the stones along a section of beach that was particularly difficult to access. The oil-polluted sand was transferred to a central collection point.