Six-year fight culminates in victory
Citizens of Gyeonggi Province have finally saved Mt. Gobong from development, a forested area considered the "lung" of the otherwise apartment-clogged Seoul satellite city of Ilsan. Residents, civic organizations, and the nearby city of Goyang had strived to prevent the development of the area for nearly seven years. The Green Consumers Network Goyang, an environmental group, issued a statement that it would attempt to preserve Mt. Gobong in April 2000, and residents and civic groups launched a campaign to purchase a piece of land on the mountain in 2001. The campaign failed, however, and construction work began amid the indictment of two resident representatives for trying to stop the development. That did not daunt resident activists, who proceeded to block construction work through candlelight vigils and hunger strikes. Many prominent figures living in Ilsan brought strength to the movement, including Jang Hoe-ik, former professor of Seoul National University, the poet Kim Ji-ha, the painter Lee Tae-su, and Professor Lee Gi-yeong of Hoseo University. A fundraising concert to save Mt. Gobong drew popular singers such as Han Young-ae and Kwon In-ha, with thousands of residents attending.The fight lasted for over six years, with the construction company - a government-funded firm - and Goyang city finally coming to an agreement to preserve the mountain on September 25. The city will buy 30 percent of the land from the construction firm and conserve it. The construction company will convert the remainder of the land into a public park. Kim Mi-yeong, an official at a joint committee to preserve Mt. Gobong, said that the citizens have earned a victory in a fight to stop haphazard development and save their land. A citizens' festival will be held in a marsh surrounding the mountain on November 19 to celebrate its preservation.
