The government says that in the course of constructing the new expressway linking Chuncheon and Yangyang it is going to include local governments and residents and environmental groups in the process, beginning at the design stages. It says it will respect the views of those who participate in deciding issues like the exact route it will take such as where to build tunnels, where to build bridges, and where to build passageways for wildlife. That is a desirable approach.
The Chuncheon-Yangyang section of the Yeongdong Expressway #2 between Seoul and Yangyang passes through the Baekdu Daegan mountain range and there were already signs that the was going to be heated accusations that the natural beauty and ecosystem was being destroyed. Unlike the Seoul-Chuncheon section, which is being built with private capital, the Chuncheon-Yangyang section is supposed to be built with state funds, and so the Ministry of Construction and Transportation is trying a new experiment by having everyone with an interest in what happens participate in the process from the planning stages in order to prevent conflict later on. If this model of citizen participation in road construction succeeds, the ministry says it will apply the same approach in similar projects.
It is a new level of improvement in the Korean government's management of construction projects to plan a major expressway construction enterprise together with local governments, environmental groups, and residents of the areas concerned. Environmental groups have been looked at with disapproval for disrupting state projects, but their persistent demands have contributed to that improvement in the way things are done. One hopes the model succeeds and is very effective in preventing environmental conflict in other areas as well. Disclosing the details about progress in massive construction projects such as these will also significantly reduce the opportunity for corruption and waste. In addition it will have the effect of raising democracy to a new level since local citizens will be participating in the development of the country's land.
The unprecedented experiment is an important and meaningful one, but it will not come easy. The development and preservation "camps" have years of conflict and distrust between them, and will need patient dialogue and mutual trust. We hope to see this new experiment be an exemplary lesson for the future.
The Hankyoreh, 20 April 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] New Experiment in Expressway Construction |
