The South Korean government said it has removed on average around 114-thousand tons of marine debris a year for the past three years. 

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Wednesday that it cleaned up a total of 342-thousand-637 tons of marine debris from 2018 to 2020, which is equivalent to 114-thousand-212 tons annually on average.

The amount of litter removed from oceans grew each year during the three-year-period. Last year, the government picked up some 138-thousand tons, a roughly 27 percent increase compared to 2019.

The ministry found that nearly 81 percent of marine debris was found along coastal areas and 83 percent of that trash was plastic.

The ministry said the nation saw more debris following a number of typhoons and that the amount it removed had risen after the government increased investment toward managing such litter.