Ministry of Environment-Sejong City-Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Sign Business Agreement
Create Resident-Satisfying, Nature-Friendly Urban Environment
Concrete Plan for 'Restoration of Our River's Natural State'
Pursued Separately from Four Major Rivers Weir Management Plan
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Environment is jointly promoting a project with related organizations such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to restore the natural state of the Geumgang River section in Sejong City, including ecological protection and water quality improvement.
On the morning of the 18th, five organizations including the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Sejong City, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and Korea Environment Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding at the Government Sejong Convention Center for the "Geumgang River Sejong City Section Natural Restoration Leading Project."
This leading project is one of the initiatives to concretize the "Our River Natural Restoration Plan," which the Ministry of Environment submitted to the National Water Management Committee last May and will be included in the first National Water Management Basic Plan (2021?2030). It is being promoted separately from the Four Major Rivers weir treatment plan to create a citizen-satisfactory, nature-friendly urban environment.
The core of the Geumgang River Sejong City section leading project is to restore the river's natural state through ▲ ecological protection and habitat expansion ▲ water circulation improvement ▲ securing flow and water quality improvement ▲ development of experiential waterfront content.
The Sejong City section is evaluated as an ecologically excellent area that retains various river features such as river wetlands and midstream islands, with a high green space ratio despite being surrounded by urban and residential areas.
An official from the Ministry of Environment stated, "The Sejong City section has a high potential for naturalness enhancement and can serve as a good example of harmonious coexistence between nature and the city, making it an appropriate site for the natural restoration leading project."
The memorandum includes provisions for forming a joint consultative body, conducting research services, and collecting local opinions, with the signatory organizations cooperating while mutually respecting policy directions and roles between institutions.
The signatory organizations promised to respect the decisions of the joint consultative body and cooperate to successfully implement the natural restoration project for future-oriented river management. They plan to form the joint consultative body by the end of this month and prepare the basic concept and execution plan of the project together through research services.
To sufficiently gather local opinions, citizen representatives will be included in the joint consultative body, and Sejong City plans to separately organize and operate a citizen participation organization.
Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae said, "This leading project is the first step to jointly protect and create our precious river," adding, "Starting with this project, we will promote leading projects for each watershed of the Four Major Rivers."
He continued, "This 'Our River Natural Restoration Plan' clearly defines the necessary direction for river management for all of us and future generations, and we will pursue sustainable river management together with local governments and residents."
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