Special Compensation for Special Sacrifice
Joint Action by Seven Cities and Counties Including Gwangju and Namyangju
Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province announced on September 5 that it officially launched a signature campaign on September 2 in collaboration with the Special Measures Area Water Quality Conservation Policy Council (hereinafter referred to as the “Policy Council”) to improve regulations in the Paldang water system.
Gapyeong County officially launched a signature campaign on the 2nd in collaboration with the Special Measures Area Water Quality Conservation Policy Council to improve regulations in the Paldang water system. Photo by Gapyeong County
The Policy Council is a statutory body established under the “Act on the Improvement of Water Quality and Support for Residents in the Han River Water System” with the aim of preserving the water quality of Paldang Lake and enhancing the quality of life for local residents. Through this signature campaign, Gapyeong County and the Policy Council plan to jointly seek both the protection of the rights and interests of residents in the metropolitan water source area and substantial institutional improvements.
According to Gapyeong County, the signature campaign began with a resident leaders’ meeting in Gapyeong-eup on September 2 and will continue through November 11, holding resident briefings across all six towns and townships in the county. The campaign will run until the end of November. During these briefings, the county will address the irrationality of overlapping regulations in the Paldang water system, explain the necessity and justification for regulatory improvements, and share the direction and future plans for the signature campaign.
Joo Namjin, the Gapyeong County resident representative of the Policy Council, stated, “The resident support project budget is the minimum compensation for the residents of the Paldang water system, who have quietly sacrificed for half a century to provide a stable water source to the metropolitan area. Reducing this budget would be a betrayal of the agreement made between the government and residents when the relevant law was enacted 26 years ago.” He added, “Through this signature campaign, I hope that the excessive regulations endured for water quality conservation will finally be improved.”
A Gapyeong County official also commented, “Our region has been forced to make unilateral sacrifices for a long time, and now it is time for fair compensation. The active participation of residents will be a powerful force in improving these unreasonable regulations.”
Under the slogan “Special Compensation for Special Sacrifice,” this signature campaign is jointly conducted by the seven cities and counties in the Paldang water system area-Gapyeong County, Gwangju City, Namyangju City, Yangpyeong County, Yeoju City, Yongin City, and Icheon City-and will continue for about three months. The collected signatures will be submitted to the central government as material urging for the easing of overlapping regulations and the expansion of resident support.
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