Environmental groups and local residents are sharply divided over the development of the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex, which is planned for the Nambu-myeon and Dongbu-myeon areas of Geoje City, Gyeongnam Province.
On October 15, Citizens' Action to Protect Nojasan Mountain and the Gyeongnam Environmental Movement Federation held a press conference at the provincial government press center, claiming that the strategic environmental impact assessment for the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex project was fabricated and demanding the complete nullification of the project.
Citizens' Action to Protect Nojasan Mountain and Gyeongnam Environmental Movement Federation are holding a press conference urging the complete nullification of the Gyeongnam Geoje Southern Tourism Complex development project. Photo by Lee Seryung
The groups stated, "Since it has been confirmed that the strategic environmental assessment for the designation of the tourism complex was falsified, the designation of the tourism complex remains completely invalid," adding, "The administrative plan itself is illegal."
They further pointed out, "Continuing the administrative procedures for development approval is no different from continually building a tower of illegality."
They went on to demand, "Gyeongnam Province and Geoje City must re-evaluate the strategic environmental assessment and suspend all administrative procedures until the results of the lawsuit to nullify the designation of the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex are announced. The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office must also fulfill its responsibility by canceling its consultation on the strategic environmental impact assessment and conducting a re-evaluation."
Previously, these groups have continued to voice opposition to the development, citing that the Nojasan Mountain area included in the project site is a habitat for endangered species and natural monuments.
The Geoje Southern Tourism Complex Promotion Committee is holding a press conference urging the prompt commencement of the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex development project in Gyeongnam. Photo by Lee Seryeong
In response, the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex Promotion Committee, centered around residents of Nambu-myeon, argued that the development of the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex is an alternative to prevent regional extinction and support the survival of residents amid the crises of an aging population and population decline, and called for the prompt advancement of the project.
They emphasized, "Nambu-myeon is located in the southeastern part of Geoje and has long been one of the most remote and inaccessible areas due to its rugged mountain terrain, resulting in generations of difficult lives. In this desperate reality, where young people are leaving and villages are becoming empty, the tourism business is not just a simple development project."
They added, "We want a sustainable Geoje-style southern tourism complex model where the environment coexists with culture, nature, and residents. We cannot accept actions that ignore reality and hinder development under the pretext of preservation."
They also argued, "External environmental groups and certain malicious actors, disconnected from the will of local residents, are colluding to disrupt the lives and future of the community. We urge Gyeongnam Province and Geoje City not to be swayed by the unilateral claims of outside environmental groups and non-experts, but to promptly approve Nambu-myeon as a stay-type tourism hub so that construction can begin within this year."
The Geoje Southern Tourism Complex project plans to invest 422.7 billion won in private capital to build a 27-hole golf course, hotel, condominium, other resort facilities, a marine sports experience center, sports and cultural facilities, and a comprehensive shopping mall by 2031 on 3,693,875 square meters spanning Tappo-ri in Nambu-myeon and Yulpo-ri in Dongbu-myeon, where Nojasan Mountain is located.
In 2019, Gyeongnam Province designated and announced 3,693,875 square meters of the planned southern tourism complex site as a tourism complex.
In August, the Central Land Expropriation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recognized the public interest and urgency of this project during its review, and approved the project on the condition of increasing the rate of agreement on compensation acquisition and specifying public contribution measures.
Gyeongnam Province stated that it would fulfill these conditions and reflect the results of the environmental impact assessment consultation in the approval process for the development plan to minimize environmental impact.
According to Gyeongnam Province and the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, on August 26, the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office's False and Insufficient Review Committee found discrepancies between the actual number of people who conducted the field survey in the natural ecology sector of the strategic environmental impact assessment for the Geoje Southern Tourism Complex project and the number recorded in the report.
As a result, the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office determined that the section of the report indicating that the responsible researcher from the environmental impact assessment service provider participated in the field survey, when in fact they did not, was falsely written.
However, it was determined that only certain specific areas were falsified, and the overall environmental impact assessment itself could not be considered generally insufficient or fabricated, so the decision on whether to conduct a re-evaluation remains undecided.
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