Minister Kim Sunghwan Visits Byeongyeongcheon Dam Candidate Site in Gangjin

Kim Sunghwan, the Minister of Environment, recently visited the candidate site for the Byeongyeongcheon Dam in Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province, to inspect the progress of the project and listen to the opinions of local residents.

Kang Jinwon, the governor of Gangjin County, explained the necessity of current projects related to climate crisis and disaster prevention to Kim Sunghwan, the Minister of Environment, at the candidate site of Byeongyeongcheon Dam in Gangjin on the 29th of last month. Provided by Gangjin County

According to Gangjin County on September 3, this visit was organized to confirm the necessity of new dams announced by the previous administration and to gather feedback from the local community. The site was attended by National Assemblyman Moon Geumjoo, Kim Youngwoo, Director of the Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office, Kim Jeongseop, Director of the Environment and Forestry Bureau of South Jeolla Province, Jang Byunghoon, Head of Water Resources and Environment at Korea Water Resources Corporation, as well as Kang Jinwon, Governor of Gangjin County, and representatives of local residents. The participants emphasized the necessity and urgency of the Byeongyeongcheon Climate Response Dam and called for its prompt implementation.

Governor Kang stated, "The Byeongyeongcheon basin has repeatedly suffered from floods and droughts, threatening the very survival of local residents, making a flood control dam an urgent and unavoidable task." Assemblyman Moon also requested, "Swift support from the central government is needed to ensure the safety of county residents and promote regional development."

Byeongyeong-myeon was designated a special disaster area due to heavy rainfall in 2012, 2021, and 2024, and has experienced water rationing during droughts. The Homgol Reservoir, the candidate site, was built over 50 years ago and has been rated 'C grade' for safety, making urgent reinforcement necessary.

Minister Kim stated, "We will set a reasonable direction for the dam project by reflecting the opinions of Gangjin County and its residents as much as possible." The county aims to use this site visit as an opportunity to accelerate resident consultations and administrative procedures, with the goal of commencing the project early and achieving tangible results.