Posted on : Nov.30,2017 17:12 KST Modified on : Dec.1,2017 21:48 KST

T

The “Four Major Rivers Project,” which the Lee Myung-bak administration had touted as a way to improve environmental quality and achieve economic growth, was chosen as “one of the world’s most high profile wastes of capital” by the progressive UK newspaper The Guardian. The centerpiece of the project involved construction of 16 new dams along four Korean rivers – the Han, Nakdong, Geum, and Yeongsan - at a price of 22 trillion won (US$20.24 billion, which were completed in 2011. In a 2013, the country’s Board of Audit and Inspection found that, “due to faulty designs, 11 out of 16 dams lack sturdiness, water quality is feared to deteriorate … and excessive maintenance costs will be required.” The photo shows a tributary of the South Han River outside the city of Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province, where flows have been reduced due to dredging and dam building. As a result, even in times of slight drought, the river often runs dry. (by Kim Myung-jin, staff photographer)

original

  • 오피니언

multimedia

most viewed articles

hot issue