Four Major Rivers Project victims gather to air their grievances

[한겨레] Huge, expensive project to reroute S. Korea's four largest rivers has caused widespread damage

　

By Kim Jeong-su, environment correspondent

"The land on the riverbanks is where organic materials collect, making it the most fertile soil. And the most appropriate use for fertile soil is farming. But they dug up all of that rich soil and made it a bicycle path. The organic farmers in Paldang whose land was taken from them still haven't been able to find any substitute land. This spring, they were not able to sow their seeds, so they have had to give up farming for the year."

The speaker was Yu Yeong-hun, chairman of the Paldang Organic Farming Association, and an organic farmer at Dumulmori, the point at which the North and South Han River intersect. He was participating in a gathering at the National Assembly Memorial Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on May 20. The gathering provided people who had been harmed by the Four Major Rivers Project a chance to testify about what they had seen and experienced. Through a testimony titled "Spring Never Came to the Fields Taken from Us," Yu alleged that the damage from the Four Rivers Project is still ongoing.

"It will be difficult, but the farmers of Korea will find a way to farm again," Yu said as he spoke to the politicians who took part in the event. "The National Assembly must not fail to bring to justice those who were responsible for the Four Rivers Project, as the damage from this project will last for generations."

At the meeting, numerous people shared testimonies about various kinds of damage inflicted on nature, people, culture, and community left by the hasty execution of the Four Rivers Project. The event was organized by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and the Democratic United Party's committee for uncovering the truth of the illegality and irregularities surrounding the Four Major Rivers Project.

Jeon Su-ho is a farmer from Deoksan Village in North Gyeongsang Province, upstream from Chilgok Weir on the Nakdong River. "The water level at Chilgok Weir is 25.5 meters above sea level, but there is a lot land around Chilgok Weir that is below 25 meters," Jeon said. "So at first the government and K-Water said they would remodel 120 hectares, but in the end they only remodeled 45 hectares, explaining that the compensation price was high. Since last year, I've had a lot of problems trying to farm."

"When I saw that the potatoes I planted this year had all gone bad, I couldn't hold back the tears. I am extremely busy with my farming, but I came to Seoul to share my frustration." Jeon called for the government to help farmers find a way to survive.

Gwak Sang-su has a farm in Goryeong County, North Gyeongsang Province, which is a major center of watermelon farming. "Hapcheon Wier has caused a variety of problems, including dry leaves, for about 80% of the watermelons being cultivated in 661,000 square meters of fields," Gwak said. "In the past at about this time of year, the watermelons would be about the size of basketballs and I would be preparing to send them to market. But since they are no bigger than handballs this year, they can't be harvested."

Song Chan-heup, head of the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province chapter of the Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions, began his testimony with an apology. "We are sorry that we were the ones who dug out the rivers for the Four Major Rivers Project with our excavators and hauled away the dirt in our dump trucks," Song said. "People think that the companies that were employed in the project made a lot of money, but the project was awful for us as well."

"Contractors had to deal with late payment on virtually every site that was part of the project. Illegal fuel was rampant, along with illegal equipment repairs and illegal invoices. If it wasn't illegal, it wasn't happening. While the large construction companies probably made some profits on the project, the construction workers who were actually doing the work on site are even now struggling as they wait to get paid," said Song.

Also giving testimony at the meeting were an activist from the Korea Federation for Environment Movement who spoke on behalf of the creatures that had lost their lives during the project, a resident from an area that suffered as groundwater dried up downstream from a newly constructed weir, and a representative from a cultural advocacy group who spoke about the damage done to cultural heritage sites.

As temperature rise, concerns are growing that there might be another occurrence of algal blooms on the four major rivers as was seen last year. But the Prime Minister's Office, which is preoccupied with other issues including the scandal concerning alleged sexual assault by Yoon Chang-jung, former spokesperson for the Blue House. As a result, the assessment of the Four Rivers Project, which is being led by the Prime Minister's Office, has not yet gotten off the ground.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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