Paju City and Korea Water Resources Corporation Accelerate Compensation Talks Over Water Outage... 'Citizen Participation' Council Set for the 7th

Working-Level Talks Held with Korea Water Resources Corporation Following National Assembly Consultation

Discussions regarding compensation for damages from the Paju City regional water supply outage incident that occurred in November last year are now gaining momentum.

Paju City checked the progress of compensation for the water outage incident on December 30 and discussed future response directions. Photo by Paju City

Paju City announced that on December 30, Assemblymen Yoon Ho-duk and Park Jung, Yoon Seok-dae, President of Korea Water Resources Corporation, and relevant officials from Paju City (including the Director of the Environmental Bureau) attended a meeting to review the progress of compensation for the water outage incident and to discuss future response strategies.

This meeting, held as an emergency consultation at the office of Assemblyman Park Jung in the National Assembly Members' Office Building, was arranged so that Paju City and local lawmakers could urge Korea Water Resources Corporation to promptly establish compensation measures for affected citizens.

At the meeting, Assemblymen Yoon Ho-duk and Park Jung requested that negotiations be expedited to ensure compensation is provided before the Lunar New Year holiday, while Paju City demanded that a working-level council be convened immediately to specify the scope and procedures for compensation.

The impact of this National Assembly consultation was immediate. The following day, on December 31, a working-level meeting between Paju City and Korea Water Resources Corporation was held, during which both sides exchanged views on the direction and detailed plans for citizen compensation.

Paju City emphasized that, in order to prevent prolonged inconvenience for citizens, preparations such as establishing a claims reception system would proceed in parallel with legal review. The city also requested that priority be given to reimbursing bottled water purchase costs, followed by prompt, phased compensation for business losses and other damages.

Korea Water Resources Corporation stated that it is currently conducting a legal review regarding compensation for emergency costs such as bottled water purchases. The company expressed its willingness to actively negotiate compensation for the water outage incident, but noted that further discussions are needed to determine the specific timing and method of payment.

Following this initial working-level meeting, where both parties confirmed their positions, the second meeting of the "Regional Water Supply Outage Compensation Council" is scheduled for January 7. From this point, compensation discussions between Paju City and Korea Water Resources Corporation are expected to become even more active.

At this upcoming meeting, representatives from Paju City, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and citizen representatives who were directly affected will participate to discuss in detail the priority settlement of bottled water purchase costs, the scope and types of compensation, and the procedures for claims and review.

Park Jun-tae, Director of the Environmental Bureau, said, "The compensation discussions are making progress by linking the National Assembly consultation with working-level negotiations," adding, "We will prioritize restoring citizens' damages and swiftly establish practical and reasonable compensation measures."

Paju City plans to transparently release the results of future negotiations and the compensation schedule, and to maintain continuous communication with citizens.