Park Doohyeong, Chairman of Yeoju City Council: "We Will Unite Citizens' Voices and Fight to the End"
"Exclude Yeoju from the Transmission Line Route" ... Opposition to 345kV Transmission Line Construction
"Oppose Facility Improvements Premised on Opening the Weirs" ... Objection to Namhan River Water Intake and Pumping Station Project
Yeoju City Council in Gyeonggi Province (Chairman Park Doohyeong) has declared an all-out battle against national projects that threaten the region's right to survival, starting at the very beginning of the new year in 2026.
On December 30, the council announced that it would urgently convene the 75th extraordinary session on January 2 and adopt two resolutions reflecting the community's strong opposition to the construction of a transmission line and the issue of opening the Namhan River weirs.
The council will first handle the "Resolution Urging the Exclusion of Yeoju City from the Route of the 345kV New Wonju-Dong Yongin Transmission Line Construction Project and Protecting Residents' Rights and Interests."
This project is a national initiative being pursued by Korea Electric Power Corporation to supply electricity to the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. Recently, the section passing through Yeoju has been mentioned as a possible route, causing significant public outrage in the region.
The council stated, "Yeoju is already crisscrossed by countless transmission towers and lines, and citizens have endured tremendous sacrifices," emphasizing, "We absolutely cannot accept another unilateral decision on the route that would force further suffering upon Yeoju residents."
The council plans to demand full transparency in the route selection process from Korea Electric Power Corporation and to call for Yeoju City to be completely excluded as a candidate area.
In addition, the council will also adopt a "Resolution on the Issue of the Namhan River Water Intake and Pumping Facility Improvement Project."
This controversy was triggered when the government allocated 3.4 billion won for the improvement of water intake and pumping stations within Yeoju City in the 2026 budget plan. The city council defined this not as a simple facility upgrade, but as a preliminary step toward "opening the sluice gates of the three Namhan River weirs: Gangcheon, Yeoju, and Ipo."
The council warned, "Improving the water intake and pumping facilities is merely a temporary measure to cover up the problem of lower water levels caused by the opening of the weirs," adding, "Opening the weirs will destroy the agricultural water supply system, which is the lifeblood of Yeoju's farmers, and will deliver a fatal blow to the local economy."
Park Doohyeong, Chairman of Yeoju City Council, stated, "This extraordinary session began as an emergency decision to protect Yeoju's future and the rights and interests of its citizens," adding, "The issues of the transmission line and the opening of the weirs are non-negotiable, and we will continue to fight strongly alongside citizens until our demands are met."
Meanwhile, as soon as the resolutions are adopted at this extraordinary session, Yeoju City Council plans to deliver them to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and other relevant agencies, and to make every effort to communicate local public opinion.
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