"Uncontrolled Development Accelerating Regional Extinction" ... Residents of Byeonggok-myeon, Hamyang Oppose 'Sakye 4U' Project

As Hamyang County in Gyeongnam embarks on a large-scale development project funded by the Local Extinction Fund at the foot of Jirisan Mountain, local residents are fiercely opposing it, claiming it is reckless development that destroys the environment and displaces indigenous people.

The Hamyang County Anti-Reckless Development Countermeasure Committee held a press conference in front of the Hamyang County Office on the morning of the 14th, urging the complete cancellation of the site selection for the ‘Hamyang Four Seasons 4U’ project.

About 30 residents of Daegwang Village, Byeonggok-myeon, Hamyang, the planned project site, hung banners in front of the county office with slogans such as “How can you displace indigenous people and bring in outsiders?”, “Stop development projects that accelerate local extinction,” and “County Governor Jin Byeong-yeong, stop secretive administration.”

About 30 residents of Daegwang Village, Byeonggok-myeon, Hamyang, are urging the county office to cancel the site selection for the 'Sakye 4U' project in front of the county office.

The Countermeasure Committee condemned, “The county governor, who should protect the lives and property of the residents, is threatening their right to survival by secretly taking away their living spaces, justifying it as unavoidable due to circumstances,” and added, “Governor Jin Byeong-yeong is denying the constitution that guarantees private property rights.”

They continued, “Daebongsan Mountain and the village’s valley water meet at Gwangryeong Stream and flow into Sangnim Water Intake, the residents’ drinking water source,” expressing concern that “pollution will become severe due to the large-scale complex being developed upstream.”

The committee pointed out, “Policies that drive out indigenous residents while benefiting outsiders cannot be justified for any reason,” and criticized, “They claim to attract 97.3 billion won in private investment, but this has a high possibility of being a ‘muk-ttwi’ (hit-and-run) development.”

Shin Jong-kwon, chairman of the Countermeasure Committee, raised the possibility of so-called ‘private capital hit-and-run,’ saying, “Until January this year, I had not heard any details about the Hamyang Four Seasons 4U project,” and added, “The Oriental Medicine Willis being developed in Baekyeon-ri, Hamyang-eup, the Medical Park in Daebongsan Recreation Valley, and the rental houses and camping sites in Daegwang Village are all projects led by external investors.”

The rally included residents of Daegwang Village, Byeonggok-myeon, environmental groups such as ‘Friends of the Otters,’ and the Gyeongnam Green Party.

A Hamyang County official explained, “The results of the Local Extinction Response Fund Metropolitan Investment Project competition were announced in November last year, and if we explained the project in advance, it could cause confusion if the project was not selected, so we could not disclose it beforehand,” adding, “We will provide sufficient explanations through future resident briefings.”

Earlier, Hamyang County secured 21.3 billion won in project funds for the development project in the Gwangpyeong-ri area of Byeonggok-myeon after the ‘Hamyang Four Seasons 4U’ was finally selected in the 2024 Local Extinction Response Fund Metropolitan Investment Project competition.

In addition, they plan to spend another 9 billion won to create a local garden, as well as build rental and sale housing (100 units), a complex camping zone, and smart farms.

Hamyang County plans to invest a total of 118.5 billion won over four years from this year to 2027, including private investment projects, on a 986,000㎡ area (approximately 296,450 pyeong), equivalent to 42 soccer fields.