Dongdaemun-gu and Residents United in Calling for GTX-C Substation Relocation
Substation Located About 36m from Apartment Site, Cannot Guarantee Resident Safety
Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyeong Lee to Meet Minister of Land Park Sangwoo on 2nd to Express Opposition to Substation Installation
Recently, news that a high-voltage substation for the operation of the Seoul Metropolitan Area’s Great Train Express (GTX) Line C will be built right in front of an apartment complex near Cheongnyangni Station has sparked strong opposition from local residents.
On April 29, Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) met with representatives of the residents of Lotte Castle SKY-L65 at Cheongnyangni Station and clearly expressed their opposition to the installation of the substation.
The district explained that since the second half of last year, it has repeatedly submitted opinions opposing the installation of the Cheongnyangni Station substation and inspection shaft (elevator) to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the implementing company, GTX-C Co., Ltd., but these concerns were not properly reflected in the detailed design.
The environmental impact assessment and public hearing procedures for the substation installation took place around August to September of last year, before the adjacent apartments were fully occupied.
As residents became aware of the substation installation after moving in and their protests and demands for resident briefings intensified, the construction company held another residents’ briefing at Dongdaemun-gu Office on April 22.
However, the explanation that the electromagnetic wave levels emitted from the 24-hour operating GTX-C line substation, located about 36 meters away from the apartment site, are similar to those of a household microwave oven failed to gain residents’ sympathy, and the controversy over the substation installation does not seem likely to subside easily.
A resident representative who attended the briefing said, “Who would agree to install a substation in front of a residential area housing about 3,000 households when safety has not been objectively proven?” and added, “Compensation given after health is damaged is meaningless, and since high-voltage current flows, there is a high possibility of large-scale casualties in case of fire,” expressing the unfairness of the substation installation.
On May 2, Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Lee Pil-hyung conveyed the unfairness of the substation installation location during a meeting with Park Sang-woo, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stating, “Dongdaemun-gu opposes the installation of the Cheongnyangni Station substation, which threatens the safety of residents,” and declared, “We will actively demand the relocation of the substation to relevant authorities together with the residents.”
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