The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Volume 9 | Issue 48 | Number 2 | Article ID 3653 | Dec 01 2011

1

Restoring or Killing Rivers The Political Economy of Sapjiland Citizens Movements in Lee Myung-bakrsquos South Korea　　河川を修復するのか殺すのかminusminus李明博の韓国における四大江開発計画の政治経済学と市民運動

SoonYawl Park

Restoring or Killing Rivers ThePolitical Economy of Sapjil andCitizens Movements in Lee Myung-bakrsquos South Korea1

SoonYawl Park

Korearsquos rampant shoveling politics

In 2008 the government of LeeMyung-bak announced theSadaegang Saligi (Four MajorRivers Sadaegang restoration)project calling it also KorearsquosGreen New Deal Since thenKorearsquos Han Nakdong Geum andYeongsan Rivers have beenecologically and geographicallytransformed by dredging and weirconstruction

The official aims of the projectwere declared to be preventingflooding addressing climatechange resolving water scarcityand improving water quality Itwould also constitute a counter-measure against the world-wideeconomic recession that followedthe financial crisis of 2008 and akey policy component in a lsquolowcarbon green growthrsquo policyagainst global climate change andresource depletion In facthowever transformation of the

rivers has had deleterious effectson many local communities andhas caused serious social andpolitical conflict

The idea of large even peninsula-scale (bothSouth and North Korea) water works has beencentral to the political career of Lee Myung-bak who became president of South Korea inFebruary 2008 The idea of a Kyongbu (Seoul-Busan) canal linking the capital and thesouthern city of Busan first appeared in the1995 report lsquoA new Strategy for Reshaping theNational Landrsquo It would be 5005 km in length47-55 metres in width and 40 metres in(average) depth with 17 lock gates 16 damsand 1 tunnel costing 10 trillion won andcarrying an annual load of 22 million tons orone-quarter of the current freight trafficbetween the two cities2 Lee as a member ofthe National Assembly took up the idea but itattracted little attention at that time

A decade later in 2005 as mayor of Seoul heraised the same general idea for a canal thatwould be about 540 kms in length Howeverthe idea did not gain significant public supportA national survey found that 677 per cent ofpeople were against the idea many deeming itpreposterous in terms of its economictechnical civil engineering or environmentalaspects3

Then as presidential candidate in 2007 Leeexpanded the idea into a scheme for a Korean

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

2

Grand Canal system which would have a totallength of 3134 kms (2099 kms in South Koreacomprising 12 canals and including four majorrivers the Han Nakdong Guem and Yongsanand 1035 kms including five canals in NorthKorea) It was nothing less than a design fornational development and prosperity It wouldcost 375 trillion won create 700000 jobslower logistical costs between Seoul BusanIncheon and Taegu contribute to flood controlregulate water quality and promote thedevelopment of undeveloped local areas4 AsLee gathered support during the presidentialelection this project became the symbolic iconof his Korean growth-ism Many welcomed it aspart of a program to bring economic growthHis electoral triumph was in large part due tohis grand economic recovery program ratherthan his detailed public pledges and despitewidespread accusations at the time of seriousmoral and political flaws

As president from early 2008 however Leebowed to strong public opposition and deferredthis grandiose project However fromNovember of that same year the Ministry ofLand Transport and Maritime Affairsannounced the Four Major Rivers Restorationplan Work on the Four Major Rivers projectthen continued between 2009 and 2011 with abudget of 22 tri l l ion won to which anadditional sum of about one trillion won has tobe added for interest etc After massiveexpenditure on the main rivers in August 2011Lee shifted his attention to the tributaries ofthe four major rivers spelling out works to becarried out between 2012 and 2015 with anadditional budget of 20 trillion won

Overall therefore a staggering 42 trillion won(about $US33 billion at exchange rate of 1200won to the dollar) is being appropriated for theconstruction of weirs and the dredging of riverbottoms on the countryrsquos four major rivers andtheir tributaries

The Four Rivers and Weirs

Opposition parties and progressive civil societygroups - including environmental NGOs and thePeoplesrsquo Committee to Stop the Killing ofRivers - contend that building weirs anddredging the rivers will be more likely todevastate than to restore them They believethat while the project will indubitably fattenconstruction companies it will cause seriousdeterioration in river system ecology anddamage local communities They suspect thatthe ldquoFour Riversrdquo project is simply a return indisguised form of the discredited Grand Canalproject of 2007

The Grand Canal project provoked intensesocial conflict and controversy and wascriticized for the nation-wide environmentaldegradation it would cause and because of itsnon-democratic decision making procedures Italso seemed at odds with mainstream thinkingin other advanced economies because of itsfocus on revitalizing the Korean economythrough construction5 An August 2010 national

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

3

survey conducted by Kyunghang Sinmun andthe Korea Society Opinion Institute showedopposition averaging 635 percent (314percent saying it should be immediately halteda n d 3 2 4 p e r c e n t t h a t i t s h o u l d b elsquodownsizedrsquo6 A May 2011 survey using textanalysis on SNS (social network service)showed that opponents outnumberedsupporters of the project

Trends of national opinion (figures inpercentages)7

(fileCUsersCliffDesktopParkparkkoreanrivers201doc_ftn7)

During the 3 years from 2008 the Leegovernmentrsquos persistent promotion of the FourRivers project suggested an obsession withlarge-scale public works stemming from thebelief shared by the president and his key staffthat it would help to accomplish the so-calledldquo747rdquo vision (annual growth of 7 per cent percapita income of $US 40000 within a decadeenabling Korea to become one of the worldstop seven economies) proclaimed during thepresidential election campaign in 2007 Despiteserious controversy civil society protests andnegative national opinion8 from November2009 16 weirs were built and much dredgingundertaken

In securing the necessary budget and in itsefforts to change national opinion the Leegovernment adopted illegal procedures and

expedients These are discussed below

A metamorphosis of shoveling

After Lee assumed the presidency and beganpushing determinedly forward with his grandpublic works design steamrollering critical ordissenting voices the opposition quickly tookshape including the

bull Peoplersquos Action for Nullifying theG r a n d C a n a l ( l i n k(httpblogdaumnetnocanal))

bull Pilgrims for Life and Peace orPeoples Serving River of Life (link(httpsaveriverorg))

bull Na t i ona l Assoc ia t i on o fProfessors against the Canal (link(httpcafenavercomanticanalprofessor))

bull A Society of Rel ig ion andEnvironment to nullify the Canalp r o j e c t ( l i n k(httpcafedaumnetxwaterway))and

bull Peoples who stop the Shovelingi n t h e F o u r R i v e r s ( l i n k(httpcafedaumnetstopsabzil))

Public opposition to the project peaked in mid-June 2008 coinciding with the explosion ofpublic wrath against the governmentrsquos decisionto resume the import of beef from the UnitedStates9 Anti-government demonstrations andgatherings involved more than one millionpeople

People who participated in the anti-governmentcandle-light demonstrations over a three monthperiod demanded that the government end theGrand Canal project stop the privatization ofthe health care system and state-owned firmsand continue the ban on beef imports from the

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

2

Grand Canal system which would have a totallength of 3134 kms (2099 kms in South Koreacomprising 12 canals and including four majorrivers the Han Nakdong Guem and Yongsanand 1035 kms including five canals in NorthKorea) It was nothing less than a design fornational development and prosperity It wouldcost 375 trillion won create 700000 jobslower logistical costs between Seoul BusanIncheon and Taegu contribute to flood controlregulate water quality and promote thedevelopment of undeveloped local areas4 AsLee gathered support during the presidentialelection this project became the symbolic iconof his Korean growth-ism Many welcomed it aspart of a program to bring economic growthHis electoral triumph was in large part due tohis grand economic recovery program ratherthan his detailed public pledges and despitewidespread accusations at the time of seriousmoral and political flaws

As president from early 2008 however Leebowed to strong public opposition and deferredthis grandiose project However fromNovember of that same year the Ministry ofLand Transport and Maritime Affairsannounced the Four Major Rivers Restorationplan Work on the Four Major Rivers projectthen continued between 2009 and 2011 with abudget of 22 tri l l ion won to which anadditional sum of about one trillion won has tobe added for interest etc After massiveexpenditure on the main rivers in August 2011Lee shifted his attention to the tributaries ofthe four major rivers spelling out works to becarried out between 2012 and 2015 with anadditional budget of 20 trillion won

Overall therefore a staggering 42 trillion won(about $US33 billion at exchange rate of 1200won to the dollar) is being appropriated for theconstruction of weirs and the dredging of riverbottoms on the countryrsquos four major rivers andtheir tributaries

The Four Rivers and Weirs

Opposition parties and progressive civil societygroups - including environmental NGOs and thePeoplesrsquo Committee to Stop the Killing ofRivers - contend that building weirs anddredging the rivers will be more likely todevastate than to restore them They believethat while the project will indubitably fattenconstruction companies it will cause seriousdeterioration in river system ecology anddamage local communities They suspect thatthe ldquoFour Riversrdquo project is simply a return indisguised form of the discredited Grand Canalproject of 2007

The Grand Canal project provoked intensesocial conflict and controversy and wascriticized for the nation-wide environmentaldegradation it would cause and because of itsnon-democratic decision making procedures Italso seemed at odds with mainstream thinkingin other advanced economies because of itsfocus on revitalizing the Korean economythrough construction5 An August 2010 national

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

3

survey conducted by Kyunghang Sinmun andthe Korea Society Opinion Institute showedopposition averaging 635 percent (314percent saying it should be immediately halteda n d 3 2 4 p e r c e n t t h a t i t s h o u l d b elsquodownsizedrsquo6 A May 2011 survey using textanalysis on SNS (social network service)showed that opponents outnumberedsupporters of the project

Trends of national opinion (figures inpercentages)7

(fileCUsersCliffDesktopParkparkkoreanrivers201doc_ftn7)

During the 3 years from 2008 the Leegovernmentrsquos persistent promotion of the FourRivers project suggested an obsession withlarge-scale public works stemming from thebelief shared by the president and his key staffthat it would help to accomplish the so-calledldquo747rdquo vision (annual growth of 7 per cent percapita income of $US 40000 within a decadeenabling Korea to become one of the worldstop seven economies) proclaimed during thepresidential election campaign in 2007 Despiteserious controversy civil society protests andnegative national opinion8 from November2009 16 weirs were built and much dredgingundertaken

In securing the necessary budget and in itsefforts to change national opinion the Leegovernment adopted illegal procedures and

expedients These are discussed below

A metamorphosis of shoveling

After Lee assumed the presidency and beganpushing determinedly forward with his grandpublic works design steamrollering critical ordissenting voices the opposition quickly tookshape including the

bull Peoplersquos Action for Nullifying theG r a n d C a n a l ( l i n k(httpblogdaumnetnocanal))

bull Pilgrims for Life and Peace orPeoples Serving River of Life (link(httpsaveriverorg))

bull Na t i ona l Assoc ia t i on o fProfessors against the Canal (link(httpcafenavercomanticanalprofessor))

bull A Society of Rel ig ion andEnvironment to nullify the Canalp r o j e c t ( l i n k(httpcafedaumnetxwaterway))and

bull Peoples who stop the Shovelingi n t h e F o u r R i v e r s ( l i n k(httpcafedaumnetstopsabzil))

Public opposition to the project peaked in mid-June 2008 coinciding with the explosion ofpublic wrath against the governmentrsquos decisionto resume the import of beef from the UnitedStates9 Anti-government demonstrations andgatherings involved more than one millionpeople

People who participated in the anti-governmentcandle-light demonstrations over a three monthperiod demanded that the government end theGrand Canal project stop the privatization ofthe health care system and state-owned firmsand continue the ban on beef imports from the

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

3

survey conducted by Kyunghang Sinmun andthe Korea Society Opinion Institute showedopposition averaging 635 percent (314percent saying it should be immediately halteda n d 3 2 4 p e r c e n t t h a t i t s h o u l d b elsquodownsizedrsquo6 A May 2011 survey using textanalysis on SNS (social network service)showed that opponents outnumberedsupporters of the project

Trends of national opinion (figures inpercentages)7

(fileCUsersCliffDesktopParkparkkoreanrivers201doc_ftn7)

During the 3 years from 2008 the Leegovernmentrsquos persistent promotion of the FourRivers project suggested an obsession withlarge-scale public works stemming from thebelief shared by the president and his key staffthat it would help to accomplish the so-calledldquo747rdquo vision (annual growth of 7 per cent percapita income of $US 40000 within a decadeenabling Korea to become one of the worldstop seven economies) proclaimed during thepresidential election campaign in 2007 Despiteserious controversy civil society protests andnegative national opinion8 from November2009 16 weirs were built and much dredgingundertaken

In securing the necessary budget and in itsefforts to change national opinion the Leegovernment adopted illegal procedures and

expedients These are discussed below

A metamorphosis of shoveling

After Lee assumed the presidency and beganpushing determinedly forward with his grandpublic works design steamrollering critical ordissenting voices the opposition quickly tookshape including the

bull Peoplersquos Action for Nullifying theG r a n d C a n a l ( l i n k(httpblogdaumnetnocanal))

bull Pilgrims for Life and Peace orPeoples Serving River of Life (link(httpsaveriverorg))

bull Na t i ona l Assoc ia t i on o fProfessors against the Canal (link(httpcafenavercomanticanalprofessor))

bull A Society of Rel ig ion andEnvironment to nullify the Canalp r o j e c t ( l i n k(httpcafedaumnetxwaterway))and

bull Peoples who stop the Shovelingi n t h e F o u r R i v e r s ( l i n k(httpcafedaumnetstopsabzil))

Public opposition to the project peaked in mid-June 2008 coinciding with the explosion ofpublic wrath against the governmentrsquos decisionto resume the import of beef from the UnitedStates9 Anti-government demonstrations andgatherings involved more than one millionpeople

People who participated in the anti-governmentcandle-light demonstrations over a three monthperiod demanded that the government end theGrand Canal project stop the privatization ofthe health care system and state-owned firmsand continue the ban on beef imports from the

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

4

US In the face of public wrath presidentialapproval ratings fell to 178 per cent in July2008 Just five months into his presidency theLee government had lost the political ability toenforce policy These circumstances forced Leeto step back saying that he would not pushahead with the policies including the GrandCanal project if people did not agree to it10

After his apology and retreat the protest anddemonstration movement quickly subsidedThen however the Lee government turned itsattention to civil society especially anti-government movements Po l ice andmainstream media joined in trying to crushcritical voices from civil society the policearresting activists without warrant blockinggatherings opposing government policies andsuing many civil activists and NGOs includingeven non-political internet cafeacutes such as thelsquo c a f eacute f o r p e o p l e w h o l o v e t ocookrsquo11 Conservative mass media such asChosun ilbo Joongang ilbo and Dong-A ilboreported perfectly legitimate gatherings anddemonstrations as serious social disorder andurged the government to enforce the lawstrictly One internet blogger who had adoptedthe pen name ldquoMinervardquo was detained on acharge of spreading malicious rumors harmfulto the governmentrsquos economic policies andinstigating distrust in government policy Hisessays on the Korean economy and ongovernment policies while scarcely academicand containing obvious inaccuracies werepopular and read regularly by more than tenthousand people many of whom seemed totrust them more them than official governmentpronouncements Minerva was in due coursefound not guilty and released12 Similar cases ofretaliatory and aggressive police enforcementsought to intimidate the expression of opinionscritical or hostile to the government

In February 2011 Frank La Rue UN SpecialRapporteur on the Promotion and Protection ofthe Right to Freedom of Opinion andExpression reported that in Korea especially

since the candle light demonstrations of 2008freedom of expression had been shrinkingbecause of government legal action againstdissenting individuals based on national lawswhich are not in accord with internationallaws13 The Lee government had taken steps tocreate a climate favorable to itself whileshrinking the spaces available to critical civilsociety and opposition parties

In approving beef imports from the US andresuming talk of privatization of the health caresystem and of state owned firms the Leeadministration tended to announce and enforceits policies unilaterally and with little noticeThis was possible because the Grand NationalParty (GNP) which it dominated held amajority in the National Assembly14 Backed bythe conservative mass media and judicialsystem the Lee government was able toovercome criticisms from civil society and thepublic sphere and to restrict their activities

Although Lee in June 2008 expressed regretthat his project had been and stated that hewould refrain from pursuing the Grand Canalproject in order to avoid national conflict overitrdquo just one year later he and the ruling GNPforced through three media related billsincluding revisions to the Broadcasting Lawthe Newspaper Law and the IPTV (InternetProtocol Television) Law as part of the effort tomake people better understand his and hisgovernmentrsquos intentions Just seven monthsafter being submitted to the National Assemblythese media-related bills were adopted in July2009 on a unilateral GNP vote Publicopposition was reported to be running at over60 percent due to concern over allowing SouthKorearsquos three conservative daily newspapers togain a greater hold on public opinion byallowing them into the broadcast market

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

5

After passage of the bills oppositionmembers protest the procedure (link(httphttpwwwnocutnewscokrshowaspidx=1866901))

Demonstration organized by the nationalunion of media workers against the bills( l i n k(httpwwwmediatodaycokrnewsarticleViewhtmlidxno=81625))

Lee also appointed close associates to thepresidency of two major broadcastingcompanies YTN and KBS brushing asidestrong opposition from inside the companiesand from opposit ion parties and civi lsociety15 and persistently sought to controlMBC a company that had remained relativelyindependent and critical of governmentpolicies16 In January 2010 the president of

MBC resigned in protest at frequentinterference by the Foundation for BroadcastCulture (FBC) the regulatory board and amajor shareholder of MBC FBC had abused itsauthority to make MBC be more pliable to thegovernment17 According to a February 2010Kyunghyang survey 95 per cent of 112par t i c ipa t ing journa l i s t s sa id tha tcircumstances of journalism had worsenedsince the inauguration of the Lee governmentwhose attempts to control mass media and thepublic sphere threatened freedom of speechand press18 The Lee administration alsocontrolled mass media through directintervention in media companies by the use oftargeted investigations by the Board of Auditand Inspection19

In the face of criticisms the Lee governmentundertook the transformation of the GrandCanal project into the Four Rivers project TheLand Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry(MLTM) officially announced the Four Riversproject in December 2008 According to it theproject addressed five core challenges

bull the renewal of the nationalterritory

bull the securing of water resourcesagainst possible water scarcity

bull comprehensive flood control

bull improving water quality andrestoring the ecosystem and

bull creating multipurpose spaces forlocal residents and promotingr i v e r - c e n t e r e d r e g i o n a ldevelopment

As part of the lsquoGreen New Dealrsquo the projectwould provide Korea an opportunity to positionitself as a powerhouse in water resources Itwould contribute to overcoming the recession

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

5

After passage of the bills oppositionmembers protest the procedure (link(httphttpwwwnocutnewscokrshowaspidx=1866901))

Demonstration organized by the nationalunion of media workers against the bills( l i n k(httpwwwmediatodaycokrnewsarticleViewhtmlidxno=81625))

Lee also appointed close associates to thepresidency of two major broadcastingcompanies YTN and KBS brushing asidestrong opposition from inside the companiesand from opposit ion parties and civi lsociety15 and persistently sought to controlMBC a company that had remained relativelyindependent and critical of governmentpolicies16 In January 2010 the president of

MBC resigned in protest at frequentinterference by the Foundation for BroadcastCulture (FBC) the regulatory board and amajor shareholder of MBC FBC had abused itsauthority to make MBC be more pliable to thegovernment17 According to a February 2010Kyunghyang survey 95 per cent of 112par t i c ipa t ing journa l i s t s sa id tha tcircumstances of journalism had worsenedsince the inauguration of the Lee governmentwhose attempts to control mass media and thepublic sphere threatened freedom of speechand press18 The Lee administration alsocontrolled mass media through directintervention in media companies by the use oftargeted investigations by the Board of Auditand Inspection19

In the face of criticisms the Lee governmentundertook the transformation of the GrandCanal project into the Four Rivers project TheLand Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry(MLTM) officially announced the Four Riversproject in December 2008 According to it theproject addressed five core challenges

bull the renewal of the nationalterritory

bull the securing of water resourcesagainst possible water scarcity

bull comprehensive flood control

bull improving water quality andrestoring the ecosystem and

bull creating multipurpose spaces forlocal residents and promotingr i v e r - c e n t e r e d r e g i o n a ldevelopment

As part of the lsquoGreen New Dealrsquo the projectwould provide Korea an opportunity to positionitself as a powerhouse in water resources Itwould contribute to overcoming the recession

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

6

by creating new jobs and revitalizing localeconomies and it would provide spaces andprograms to meet the rising public demand forwater sports and cultural activities20 Althoughthe Four Rivers project had a new name manysaw it as the return of the Grand Canal projectin disguised form21

Lee the bulldozer

In June 2009 the MLTM announced its masterplan for the Four Rivers project It had beendrawn up in just five months including a pre-economic feasibility and environmental impactassessment In November the Lee governmentlaunched the project The groundbreakingceremonies were broadcast live across thecountry with the president and other keyministers and GNP politicians participatingLee said

ldquothe Four Major Rivers RestorationProject is a project that we shouldbe carrying out at this time Wehave not been swayed by politicalinterests and have insteadremained focused on mattersperta in ing to the people rsquoshappinessrdquo 2 2

The rush to complete the project in just twoyears in the face of widespread opposition andwithout appropriate review or publicdiscussion stirred social and legal disputesLawyers and professionals filed a suit launchedby more than 10000 people nation-wide tocancel it insisting that the project was inviolation of the National Finance Law theRivers and Creeks Law the EnvironmentalImpact Evaluation Law and the CulturalProperties Protection Law23 So far howevercourts have refused to accept such suits

Opposition has been further fueled by the factthat industrial waste and toxic sediment havebeen found at several construction sites In

October 2010 tens of thousands of tons ofindustrial waste and surplus soil were foundburied under the waterfront of the NakdongRiver in Gimhae adjacent to a potable waterintake station that supplies drinking water tosome two million Busan citizens24 Sedimentsextracted from a Gimhae construction siterevealed heavy metals well in excess of levelsset in the US by the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA)25 Anotherweir construction site Dalseong near Taeguproduced a similar result26

Gimhae(Busan)

Dalseong(Taegu)

US(NOAA)

limitArsenic 963 889 82

Cadmium 229 219 12Mercury 029 015Nickel 2153 209

Critics express concern that contamination willbe unavoidable if the area is dredged accordingto the administrationrsquos plans The Leegovernment has claimed that widening of thecatchment area would improve water quality onthe Nakdong River by diluting pollutants butthe opposite seems to have occurred withwater quality worsening as algae grew in thestagnant water

The project has also had the negative effect ofcausing reverse erosion as the tributaries ofmajor rivers are being rapidly eaten away bydredging of the main course This damage wasanticipated by critics from the beginning of theproject Following the rainy season of thesummer of 2011 many tributaries were eatenaway by flood waters Increasing water leveldifferences between the main rivers and theirtributaries resulted from large scale dredgingcaused a reverse erosion process that has seenthe collapse of banks on the smaller riversOver time the bottoms of the river will riseagain

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

7

Critics also argue that dredging without duelegal process had led to the collapse or erosionof bridges on main rivers The WaegwanRailroad Bridge in Chilgok county NorthGyeongsang Province a registered moderncultural property built across the NakdongRiver in 1905 collapsed in June 2011 afteraround 200 mm of rain in three days It hadbeen deemed ldquosatisfactoryrdquo by a safetyexamination conducted immediately prior tothe start of the Project Dredging of the riverbottom near the bridge without appropriatetreatment is suspected to have caused thecollapse Local environmental activists arguedthat the work had been pushed forward withoutproper assessment of safety in order to meetthe works deadline Environmental activistswarn of a high probability that accidents suchas this will also occur elsewhere In August2011 another bridge on the Namji railroad inChangnyong county South GyeongsangProvince was reported to be in danger ofcollapse as a result of pier sinking27

Collapsed Waegwan Railroad Bridge fromOhmynews June 26 201128

Namji railroad bridge from OhmynewsAugust 26 201129

출처 95 준설 해놓고 이제 와서 안전점검 - 오마 이 뉴 스(httpwwwohmynewscomNWS_Webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001616179ampPAGE_CD=S0200)

The worst tragedy of the bulldozer-likeconstruction work to complete the project intime has been the death of more than 20workers in accidents resulting from negligenceMost were people pushed to work with too littlerest and sleep One dump truck driver on theGuem River project said ldquoDuring 10 workinghours from 7 am to 6 pm I hardly take a restThis is the hardest jobrdquo30 According to thenational construction labor union mostworkers on the Four Rivers project haveexperienced hellish conditions under illegalsubcontracting The unionrsquos survey of 900workers in 2010 found 814 per cent ofrespondents had experienced late wagepayments and most had been pushed by largercompanies to load much more dredged sandthan regulations permit and had been driven toover work31

Officially one of the main claims of the projectwas to boost the local construction economybut two years into it most of the benefits havegone to big construction companies rather than

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

7

Critics also argue that dredging without duelegal process had led to the collapse or erosionof bridges on main rivers The WaegwanRailroad Bridge in Chilgok county NorthGyeongsang Province a registered moderncultural property built across the NakdongRiver in 1905 collapsed in June 2011 afteraround 200 mm of rain in three days It hadbeen deemed ldquosatisfactoryrdquo by a safetyexamination conducted immediately prior tothe start of the Project Dredging of the riverbottom near the bridge without appropriatetreatment is suspected to have caused thecollapse Local environmental activists arguedthat the work had been pushed forward withoutproper assessment of safety in order to meetthe works deadline Environmental activistswarn of a high probability that accidents suchas this will also occur elsewhere In August2011 another bridge on the Namji railroad inChangnyong county South GyeongsangProvince was reported to be in danger ofcollapse as a result of pier sinking27

Collapsed Waegwan Railroad Bridge fromOhmynews June 26 201128

Namji railroad bridge from OhmynewsAugust 26 201129

출처 95 준설 해놓고 이제 와서 안전점검 - 오마 이 뉴 스(httpwwwohmynewscomNWS_Webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001616179ampPAGE_CD=S0200)

The worst tragedy of the bulldozer-likeconstruction work to complete the project intime has been the death of more than 20workers in accidents resulting from negligenceMost were people pushed to work with too littlerest and sleep One dump truck driver on theGuem River project said ldquoDuring 10 workinghours from 7 am to 6 pm I hardly take a restThis is the hardest jobrdquo30 According to thenational construction labor union mostworkers on the Four Rivers project haveexperienced hellish conditions under illegalsubcontracting The unionrsquos survey of 900workers in 2010 found 814 per cent ofrespondents had experienced late wagepayments and most had been pushed by largercompanies to load much more dredged sandthan regulations permit and had been driven toover work31

Officially one of the main claims of the projectwas to boost the local construction economybut two years into it most of the benefits havegone to big construction companies rather than

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

8

to local ones The major companies have beenruthless in cost-cutting Between January andJune 2010 at the 168 construction sites of theFour Rivers project there were 9000 workersand 5000 pieces of construction machinerywhereas the original contract called for 29000workers and 13000 pieces of constructionmachinery Illegal gains of some 2 trillion wonf l o w e d t o b i g c o n s t r u c t i o ncompanies32 According to the Taegu Ilbo fewlocal construction company workers have beenemployed with locals receiving only 109 percent of total wages in the Nakdong Riverworks33

The Fair Trade Commission suspected the topsix construction companies of bid-riggingbecause of their conduct during secretmeetings to discuss bid rigging and theirsubmission of tenders at 95 to 98 per cent ofthe presumed construction cost34 In generallsquoturnkeyrsquo practices on public works have theeffect of pushing costs more than 30 per centhigher than would be the case with competitivebidding35

The Four Rivers project is far from its originalgoal of developing the regional economy andthe rivers into a nature-friendly zone Insteadit has produced environmental degradation andcultural and ecological destruction whilechanneling super profits to the big constructioncompanies

Exodus from backwardness

The President and key members of his staffremain firm proponents of the Sadaegangproject They argue that it reduced damagescaused by recent heavy rain and flooding inmajor rivers But the argument that ldquoreduceddamagerdquo was an ldquoeffectrdquo of the Sadaegangproject is not persuasive since over the pastlast several years most flooding has taken placeon tributaries and small rivers and hardly at allon national rivers and streams So even thoughthere had been few floods along the four main

rivers the Lee government poured 22 trillionwon in to flood control measures36

In August 2011 President Lee said that from2012 his government would start work on anew project mostly on tributaries of the fourmain rivers in order to complete theSadaegang project Again his suggestion isv i r t u a l l y c e r t a i n t o l e a d t o p o l i c yimplementation

Flood damage areas and Four Rivers underconstruction37

Mega public works proceed juggernaut-styleInfamous earlier examples prior to the FourRivers project included the Saemangumreclamation project38 innovative cities andmany industrial complexes in undevelopedareas such as Cholla and Gangwon While suchprojects have fed the construction complexgenerated serious social conflicts stirred landspeculation and caused budget waste in mostcases it remains unclear what social oreconomic purpose will be served

Once a mega project of the Four Rivers typestarts it is almost impossible to stop it It iscommon for proponents of major public worksto claim that they will result in substantialregional andor national development benefits

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

9

but the evidence rarely supports such claimsInstead the common outcome has been socialconflict and devastation of nature andcommunity in the vicinity of the constructionsites

Mega public works of the Sadaegang kindbecome possible because of the constellation ofsocial economic and political structures whichmake up the Korean politics of shoveling inwhich the major actors are national and localpoliticians and bureaucrats a mass-mediawhich is not independent of government andthe big construction companies experts whoserve with their expertise and ordinary peoplewith their strong desire for growth Leersquosvictory in the 2007 presidential electionshowed how much Koreans wanted to be richand were captured by growth-ism In the yearssince then they have been paying the price

Demonstration in support of an organicfarm complex which had been forciblyremoved in the process of constructing ariver park as part of the Four Riversproject Photo from KFEM February 201139

But there is still a chance for Korea to take adifferent path Social and environmentalmovements against the Four Rivers project andother mega public works on the part of civil

society local residents and religious groupshave slowly gathered strength They cannot yetstop the juggernaut but a media relativelyindependent of government and majorcorporations has slowly expanded the publicsphere in which people can debate and discussmajor issues and the requirements for anecologically sustainable and socially justsociety

SoonYawl Park is a Research Fellow at the AsiaCenter Seoul National University He is authorof Boolman u Saemangeum (UnfulfilledSaemanguem Change of social conflictstructure and local development discourses)2009 Hankuk-Haksool-Jeongbo

Recommended citation SoonYawl ParkRestoring or Killing Rivers The PoliticalEconomy of Sapjil and Citizens Movements inLee Myung-bakrsquos South Korea The Asia-PacificJournal Vol 9 Issue 48 No 2 November 282011

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APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

9

but the evidence rarely supports such claimsInstead the common outcome has been socialconflict and devastation of nature andcommunity in the vicinity of the constructionsites

Mega public works of the Sadaegang kindbecome possible because of the constellation ofsocial economic and political structures whichmake up the Korean politics of shoveling inwhich the major actors are national and localpoliticians and bureaucrats a mass-mediawhich is not independent of government andthe big construction companies experts whoserve with their expertise and ordinary peoplewith their strong desire for growth Leersquosvictory in the 2007 presidential electionshowed how much Koreans wanted to be richand were captured by growth-ism In the yearssince then they have been paying the price

Demonstration in support of an organicfarm complex which had been forciblyremoved in the process of constructing ariver park as part of the Four Riversproject Photo from KFEM February 201139

But there is still a chance for Korea to take adifferent path Social and environmentalmovements against the Four Rivers project andother mega public works on the part of civil

society local residents and religious groupshave slowly gathered strength They cannot yetstop the juggernaut but a media relativelyindependent of government and majorcorporations has slowly expanded the publicsphere in which people can debate and discussmajor issues and the requirements for anecologically sustainable and socially justsociety

SoonYawl Park is a Research Fellow at the AsiaCenter Seoul National University He is authorof Boolman u Saemangeum (UnfulfilledSaemanguem Change of social conflictstructure and local development discourses)2009 Hankuk-Haksool-Jeongbo

Recommended citation SoonYawl ParkRestoring or Killing Rivers The PoliticalEconomy of Sapjil and Citizens Movements inLee Myung-bakrsquos South Korea The Asia-PacificJournal Vol 9 Issue 48 No 2 November 282011

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APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

10

Korean Peninsula Envisioning a NortheastA s i a n B i o d i v e r s i t y C o r r i d o r( h t t p s a p j j f o r g - P e t e r - H a y e s 3 4 2 3 )(httpsapjjf org-Peter-Hayes3423)

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Notes

1 The word Sapjil literally to dig with a shovelis widely used to describe useless work Whenopponents of the Sadaegang project say ldquoStopSapjilrdquo they use it to refer to ldquoextra-structurerdquoie the construction of public works for theirown sake without reference to social andeconomic need

2 For details of Korearsquos Grand Canal projects e e t h i s l i n k(httpwwwkogcorkrindexhtml) All links inthe article to Korean texts

3 ldquoHow does Lee Myung-bakrsquos Kyungbu canalbreak through the obstacle of public opinionrdquoBreakNews October 10 2005 ( l ink(httpwwwmediagaonorkrjspsearchpopupnewsviewpopupjspnewsId=0410060820051010100026999amphighlight=여론조사))

4 See homepage of the Korean Grand Canal andwater way forum (httpwwwkogcorkrindexhtml)

5 Many Koreans see the future and effects ofthe Grand Canal project through the Gyeong-In(Seoul-Incheon) canal Work on the Gyeong-Incanal began in 1995 but was several timessuspended for reasons of economic inefficiencyand env i ronmenta l degradat ion I trecommenced under Lee Myung-bak in March2009 and is to be completed by 2011 The name

of the canal was changed to Gyeon-In AraBatgil (or Seoul-Inchon Ara Waterway) in May2 0 0 9 ) S e e d e t a i l s h e r e(httpwwwgiwaterwaykr)

6 Weekly Opinion No 53 Korea Society OpinionIns t i tu te 11 November 2009 L ink(httpwwwksoiorgbbsviewbodyhtmlcode=newsletteramppage=1ampid=312ampnumber=312ampkeyfield=ampkey=)

7 Financial Times 4 August 2011 (link(httpwwwfnnewscomviewra=Sent0801m_Viewampcorp=fnnewsamparcid=0922382759ampcDateYear=2011ampcDateMonth=08ampcDateDay=04))

8 See details Jaeang u Mulkil HanbandoDaeunha (The waterway of Disaster The KoreaPeninsula Grand Canal) KFEM etal SeoulDoyosae 2008

9 Candle light demonstrations started by highschool girls in Seoul became a nation-widemovement involving more than one millionpeople The main issues included beef importsand the privatization of public firms and theGrand Canal project

10 ldquoPlease remember June 10 Kwanghwamoonlsquocandlelightrsquo and morning dewrsquordquo OhmyNewsJ u n e 1 9 2 0 0 8 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0000930467))

1 1 O n t h e l a t t e r s e e t h i s l i n k(httpwww82cookcom) For details of the 65day candlelight demonstrations from May 2 toJuly 5 2008 see Candlelight the 65 days record(2008 Kyunghyang SinmunsaSeoul)

12 ldquo Judge Yu Minerva not guilty dismisses

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

11

violation of the constitutionrdquo OhmyNews April2 0 2 0 0 9 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001114811))

13 For details ldquoMission to the Republic ofKorea Report of the Special Rapporteur on thepromotion and protection of rights to freedomof opinion and expression UN GeneralAssembly Human Rights Council 17th Session21 March 2011 AHRC1727Add2

14 In the 295-seat National Assembly as ofOctober 2011 the GNP had 168 seats theDemocratic Party 87 Independent 4 othersmall parties 36 members

15 The current president of KBS was a specialassistant for mass media to the Lee presidentialcampaign

16 In 2009 four producers and one scriptwriterfrom the MBCrsquos investigative programme PDNotebook who had reported on the alleged riskof mad cow disease associated with the importof beef from the US and criticized officials incharge of the trade negotiations were arrestedand charged with defaming officials of theMinistry of Agriculture When all wereacquitted by the Seoul district court in January2010 the Prosecutorrsquos Office appealed andwhen that appeal was in turn dismissed by thesame court on 2 February 2010 a furtherappeal was launched this time to the SupremeCourt (For details Report of the SpecialRapporteur op cit)

17 The Foundation for Broadcast Culture wasfounded in 1988 in accordance with the TheFoundation for Broadcast Culture law as anon-profit organization See details here(httpwwwfbcorkrintroductione_foundationhtml)

18 According to Weekly Kyunghyang (No 86229 February 2010) journalists responding tothis survey pointed out frequent governmentguidelines for media reporting on keygovernment policies such as the construction ofSejong city the import of beef from the USand accusations against producers of the MBCprogram which disclosed problems concerningbeef imports

19 ldquoReappearance of controlled media fromindirect regent to direct interventionrdquoKyunghyang Daily 23 February 2010 (link(httpnewskhancokrkh_newskhan_art_viewhtmlartid=201002231821155ampcode=910100))

20 Government official homepage of lsquoFour riversg r e e n K o r e a rsquo ( A c c e s s e d(httpwww4riversgokrnewsengdreamgrowupjspdirA=m01ampdirB=o01ampdirC=p01) 7October 2011)

21 For details see Park Chang Geun (2009)

22 ldquoFour rivers ground breaking ceremonypublic opinion beatingrdquo The HankyorehN o v e m b e r 2 2 2 0 0 9 ( l i n k(httpwwwhanicokrartipoliticspolitics_general389139html))

23 ldquoFour major rivers project as anti-rule of lawshould be judgedrdquo Ohmynews November 262 0 0 9 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomNWS_Webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001269027))

24 ldquoDiscovery of waste illegally buried inNakdong river againrdquo Ohmynews October 102 0 1 0 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001459397))

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

12

25 ldquoHuge buried industrial waste is a drinkingwater disaster coming to Busanrdquo OhmynewsO c t o b e r 1 5 2 0 1 0 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001461784))

26 ldquoDeposit soil of Dal-seong weir critical levelof cadmium leads to itai- itai diseaserdquoO h m y n e w s A p r i l 2 0 2 0 1 0 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomNWS_Webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001367672))

27 For details ldquoNamji railroad in danger ofcollapse caused by pier sinkingrdquo OhmynewsA u g u s t 2 6 2 0 1 1 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001617575))

28 ldquoLocal residentsrsquo fury at the collapse of theWaegwan railroad bridgerdquo June 26 2011 (link(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001587714))

29 ldquoNamji railroad in danger of collapse causedby pier sinkingrdquo Ohmynews August 26 2011( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001617575))

30 Interview with Ohmynews reporter onF e b r u a r y 1 5 2 0 1 1 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pg aspxCNTN_CD=A0001523224))

31 For details ldquoSpecial effect from four riversproject Construction workers with payment inarrears and who are deeply in debtrdquo PressianF e b r u a r y 8 2 0 1 1 ( l i n k(httpwwwpressiancomarticlearticleasparticle_num=60110208130332ampsection=03)) andldquoBlast from four river project turnkey biddingtwo trillion has been disappearedrdquo PressianF e b r u a r y 1 5 2 0 1 1 ( l i n k

(httpwwwpressiancomarticlearticleasparticle_num=60110215133920ampsection=03))

32 ldquo288 billion won disappeared in constructionsite 24 of Nakdong riverrdquo Ohmynews February1 7 2 0 1 1 ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspx CNTN_CD =A0001524172)) For a fullreport on ldquoAnalysis on manpower andmachinery for the four river projectrdquo see thisl i n k(httpwwwccejorkrPDSmorgueDoc_viewhtmlpagenum=1ampIdx=10416ampcate3=9ampcate1=Aampcate2=6ampsearchitem=Tampsearchcont=4대강)

33ldquoFour rivers project in final stretchrdquo TaeguI l b o A u g u s t 1 9 2 0 1 1 ( l i n k(httpwwwidaegucomnewpagessubphpload=suampbcode=AKAAampno=851))

34 The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) isa ministerial-level central administrativeorganization under the authority of the PrimeMinister which also functions as a quasi-judicialbody It formulates and administers competitivepolicies and handles antitrust cases (fromK F T C h o m e p a g e(httpengftcgokraboutoverviewjsppageId=0102))

35 ldquoFour rivers project gave 43 trillion won totop ten construction companiesrdquo October 112 0 0 9 O h m y n e w s ( l i n k(httpwwwohmynewscomnws_webviewat_pgaspxCNTN_CD=A0001473572))

36 During the past 10 years only 36 percent oftotal flood damage occurred along the fourmajor rivers (Jung-wk Kim 2010 Na-neunBandaehanda (I Do Object Report on truth offour rivers construction work) Seoul NeurinGeolum p54

APJ | JF 9 | 48 | 2

13

37 Source Jung-wok Kim ibid p55

38 Saemangeum Reclamation Project is totransform tidal flats to 40100ha (land28300ha freshwater lake11800ha) withconstruction of 33 kms of sea dike in Jeollabuk-do in the south-west Beginning in 1991 thedike was completed in 2009 despite fierce

opposition from local villagers and civil societyAs of 2011 the estimated total budget of theproject scheduled for completion in 2020 wasabout 417 tri l l ion won See this l ink(httpwwwisaemangeumcokrengsub02_business_01html)

3 9 Korean Federation for EnvironmentMovements link (httpwwwkfemorkr)