Jeon Seung-il, Gwangju Seo-gu Council Member, Actively Mediates Conflicts Between Authorities and Residents Over Flood Damage Solutions

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeon Seung-il, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council, actively mediated the intense conflict between Seo-gu and residents over solutions to flood damage, leading to a dramatic agreement.

According to Councilor Jeon on the 2nd, the ‘Nongseong·Hwajeong-dong Flood Damage Residents’ Countermeasure Committee’ and ‘Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu,’ which had been in severe conflict over solutions since the flood damage occurred in August last year, reached a dramatic agreement.

Councilor Jeon said, “Both sides agreed that because the stormwater pipe heading toward Seoseok High School, which joins the Gunbuncheon stream, is at a low elevation and must be installed at a low position, causing frequent backflow, it is necessary to install a new pipeline separately from Gunbuncheon. However, they had differing opinions regarding the crossing of Sangmu-daero.”

He continued, “Seo-gu believed that the space at the bridge section in front of Gangmun Clinic is wide and the drop is large, so the drainage capacity is sufficient. However, the Residents’ Countermeasure Committee took an opposing view, pointing out that debris and bridge piers inside the bridge obstruct water flow, and that the box culvert installed during the widening of Sangmu-daero is more than 1 meter smaller than the Gunbuncheon box (3.5x3.5x3), inevitably causing a bottleneck.”

He added, “Most importantly, if drainage occurs around the middle of the bridge as Seo-gu claims, during heavy rain, backflow is inevitable as the water level inside the bridge rises to the highest point at the communication lines. This makes the situation much more dangerous than before construction. Therefore, it was analyzed that crossing Sangmu-daero to connect with the D-LINE D1800 pipeline, rather than drainage inside the bridge, is necessary.”

Since September last year, both sides have coordinated through five residents’ briefings and two meetings, as well as unofficial encounters. However, unable to narrow their differences, conflict peaked when, during the fourth briefing, a remark by a representative of the consulting company stating ‘the issue is cost, not technical problems’ led to collective action such as drafting a petition.

Councilor Jeon facilitated behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Residents’ Countermeasure Committee and the Seo-gu Office’s responsible department to mediate the conflict, and after an emergency meeting by Gwangju City promising budget support for the Sangmu-daero crossing construction, a dramatic agreement was reached.

To broaden mutual understanding regarding this construction, members of the Residents’ Countermeasure Committee, Seo-gu, and the consulting company jointly inspected the entire sewage pipeline, including the contentious bridge section. Seo-gu plans to promptly carry out construction up to the bridge section where project funds have been secured, and the Sangmu-daero crossing construction will be swiftly implemented after securing additional budget from Gwangju City within this month.

Councilor Jeon said, “To permanently prevent flood damage around Seoseok High School, we agreed to consider mid- to long-term plans for reorganizing the bridge section and expanding bypass drainage facilities upstream toward Bongseon, Juwol-dong in Nam-gu, and near the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education.”