Hanoi - A South Korean condiments manufacturer is disputing media claims that it violated Vietnamese environmental laws, company officials said Thursday.

Several Vietnamese newspapers Thursday ran stories accusing South Korean-owned Miwon Vietnam of intentionally discharging wastewater into the Red River.

The newspapers said Miwon's substandard treatment system had pumped out about 150 cubic metres of wastewater per day since late 2007.

The company admitted to dumping wastewater beyond legal limits and said it had voluntarily reported the amount of discharges to government authorities.

The charges were unfair, the firm said, when it was working to solve the problem.

"Local media don't cover the news in a productive way, they only want to kill us," Miwon CEO Yoon Suk Chun said.

Tran Xuan Hai, Deputy Director of Phu Tho's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, confirmed that the company had admitted its violations and pledged to begin treating its waste as soon as possible.

Miwon had hired a government-affiliated contractor, the Center for Clean Water and Environment Technology Transfer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, to build the factory's wastewater treatment system, Chun said.

But he called the system substandard for the cost of nearly 8 million dollars.

As Miwon was left to terminate the contract, it hired a different contractor. Wastewater treatment had been delayed because the system was still in a trial phase, he added.

Miwon makes about 30,000 tons of condiments per year at its factory in the northern province of Phu Tho.

Authorities were still investigating the discharges, however, they said they were not as serious as the damages caused by the Taiwanese condiments company Vedan, Hai said.

Vedan was recently shut down in southern Dong Nai province after it had poured more than 100,000 cubic metres of untreated wastewater into the Thi Vai River in Dong Nai for 10 years.

Hai said the pollution at Miwon started last year, when it began milling plants, mainly cassava and tubers, at its factory.

"We admit we have violated Vietnamese regulations on environment protection since last November, but not as seriously as the Taiwanese Vedan Company," said Chun, pleading to give Miwon another chance.

Wastewater samples collected at Miwon Monday were cleaner than a week earlier.

Discharging pollutants or toxic substances into water and failing to take environmental measures despite government orders can result in of up to 3,500 dollars for each violation or up to 10 years in prison.

Vedan was fined 7.7 million dollars. (dpa)