Gyeonggi-do and Pyeongtaek City Demand Lifting of 'Yucheon Water Source Protection Zone' Restrictions
106㎢ Restricted for 45 Years, Factory Establishment and Approval Regulations Imposed
The decision to lift the water source protection zone around the planned site of the Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, appears to be spreading to other local governments. Anseong City, which has long been restricted from development due to being designated as a water source protection zone like Yongin, is showing active efforts to push for the lifting of the zone.
On the 23rd, Anseong City stated in a press release, "Gyeonggi Province and Pyeongtaek City must promptly lift the 'Yucheon Water Source Protection Zone,' which is holding back regulations to resolve the unilateral sacrifices and regional discrimination that Anseong has endured and to successfully promote the Gyeonggi-Chungnam Bay Valley win-win cooperation project leading South Korea's growth."
A panoramic view of the 'Yucheon Water Source Protection Area' in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Since its designation in 1979, factory establishment has been regulated for 45 years. [Photo by Anseong-si]
The situation of the Yucheon Water Source Protection Zone, which Anseong City is demanding to be lifted, is similar to that of the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone. The Yucheon Water Source Protection Zone was designated in 1979 along with the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone due to the operation of the Yucheon Intake Station in Yucheon-dong, Pyeongtaek City. The protected area covers 0.982㎢. Including the factory establishment restricted area of 14.57㎢ and the factory establishment approval area of 90.58㎢, a total of 106.132㎢ is subject to development restriction regulations.
In particular, most of the regulated area, 104.596㎢, belongs to adjacent local governments such as Anseong and Cheonan in Chungnam. Anseong accounts for 71.246㎢ and Cheonan 33.35㎢. Because of this, Anseong City and Cheonan City have consistently demanded the closure of the Yucheon Intake Station and the lifting of the water source protection zone from Pyeongtaek City. The city formed a public-private-government policy consultative body in 2019, and in 2021, together with Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Environment, Anseong, Yongin, Pyeongtaek cities, and the Korea Rural Community Corporation, signed the 'Pyeongtaek Lake Watershed Win-Win Cooperation Agreement,' holding 23 policy councils, working-level meetings, and sub-working meetings to date.
In particular, at the public-private-government sub-working meeting held in June last year, the city requested that the lifting of the Yucheon Water Source Protection Zone related to the establishment of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Complex be elevated to a national-level discussion, similar to Yongin.
However, Pyeongtaek City holds the position that the case of the Yucheon Intake Station is different from that of the Songtan Intake Station. Pyeongtaek City stated, "The lifting of the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone was an unavoidable decision for the national strategic semiconductor complex project," and "We have not considered lifting the Yucheon Water Source Protection Zone."
Meanwhile, following the recent decision to lift the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone, Anseong has been freed from factory establishment restrictions and approval regulations over 18.79㎢ in Yangseong and Wongok-myeon areas. In Yongin, 64.432㎢ have been released from regulations.
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