Do-Gwangju City-Hwasun County 'Agreement Signed'
[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The 8th term Gwangju-Jeonnam Win-Win Development Committee resolved the long-standing regional issue of the ‘Dongbok Dam water source management and maintenance project’ in the border area between Gwangju and Jeonnam.
According to Jeonnam Province on the 31st, Governor Kim Young-rok of Jeonnam Province signed an agreement at Dongbok Dam in Hwasun with Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung and Hwasun County Governor Koo Bok-gyu to jointly manage the Dongbok Dam water source and improve the deteriorated living environment of residents in the surrounding area, one of the key tasks for Gwangju-Jeonnam win-win development.
The agreement includes ▲ Gwangju’s overall management of the Dongbok Dam water source protection area ▲ Hwasun County’s maintenance of facilities within the Jeokbyeok tour section leading to Manghyangjeong ▲ Gwangju, as the dam management authority, contributing 210 billion KRW, which is 90% of the total project cost of 23.3 billion KRW, over 10 years to promote maintenance projects within 5 km of the dam’s planned flood level.
Located in Iseo-myeon, Hwasun, Dongbok Dam was completed in 1971 and designated as a water source protection area in May 1973, serving as a water source for Gwangju citizens.
Until now, residents of Hwasun have faced long-term restrictions on exercising property rights, and it has been difficult to utilize Jeokbyeok, a tourist attraction, leading Hwasun County to request the transfer of Dongbok Dam management rights to Gwangju City.
To resolve this long-standing issue, Jeonnam Province, Gwangju City, and Hwasun County held 15 working-level meetings since January last year to discuss the management rights of Dongbok Dam and the improvement of the living environment for residents around the dam.
With the start of the 8th term, Governor Kim Young-rok and Mayor Kang Ki-jung held the ‘Gwangju-Jeonnam Win-Win Development Committee’ at the end of July and agreed to actively cooperate on the management rights of Dongbok Dam and the improvement of the living environment for residents around the dam.
Subsequently, Jeonnam Province, Gwangju City, and Hwasun County reached a final agreement after several consultations on joint management of the water source protection area and funding contributions for the dam area maintenance project.
It is expected that the living conditions of residents will be greatly improved by promoting projects such as revitalizing tourism around Hwasun Jeokbyeok, a nationally designated cultural asset and UNESCO Global Geopark, establishing a production base in the dam area, and developing welfare, cultural, and public facilities.
Governor Kim Young-rok said, “Gwangju and Jeonnam are a historical, cultural, and economic community born and grown together, overcoming numerous hardships and leading changes in Korea. If the two cities and provinces unite their hearts and efforts, there is no issue that cannot be resolved. We will maintain an organic cooperative relationship to meet the expectations of the citizens of both cities and provinces.”
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