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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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 Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:47 am Post subject: Grand canal facing growing opposition |
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From today's Korea Herald
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Opponents Up Ante Against Lee's Canal Scheme.
President-elect Lee Myung-baks plan to build a grand waterway network across the country is facing mounting criticism from environmentalists, academics and religious leaders.
Environment Minister Lee Kyoo-yong on Friday argued that the planned canal will devastate the environment and burden the economy with its huge maintenance costs. Various groups last week launched a nationwide campaign of opposition to the scheme by issuing reports on its harmful effects on the ecological system, as well as its problems involving economic feasibility. The incoming government and the Grand National Party plan to enact a special law in June to facilitate the construction of a 3,100-kilometer-long network of 17 waterways which will connect major rivers in the South, and ultimately reach North Korea.
The construction of the cross-country canal will have a devastating impact not only on the environment but also on the economy and water resources, Environment Minister Lee Kyoo-yong said during a meeting with reporters. Not only the construction, but the maintenance will also require astronomical expenditures, Lee said. That was the first criticism by the environment chief of the canal plan. The surrounding areas will also face a greater risk of flooding in the rainy season. Lee has worked at the Environment Ministry for nearly two decades.
The president-elect defended his plan during a workshop with his transition committee on Saturday. He said the plan is partly aimed to protect the environment and to better control flooding.
"I have stressed the matter of global warming for years, but not many gave the matter due attention. We are spending 10 trillion won to deal with natural disasters. But the money does not go to more creative work. My canal proposal came in that context," he said.
Lee claimed that the canal will contribute to the protection of the environment by helping reduce road transportation, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Earlier last week, a group called the Union of Citizens Against the Grand Canal Project released a statement which strongly criticized the president-elect for moving to enact the special bill. The canal will likely degrade the quality of our river water, and destroy the countrys eco-system, the group said. Another group opposed to the waterway project said it plans to hold a three-hour rally in Seoul on Sunday.
Religious groups and members of academia also joined forces, holding a series of meetings and forming committees to devise countermeasures against Lees project. Yang Jae-seong, an official at the National Council of Churches in Korea, said the group cannot find a justification in any sphere -- the economy, public safety, the environment or culture -- to build the canals. The group is poised to launch prayer meetings and to publish educational material to advance its cause, its officials said.
On Jan. 31, a group of Seoul National University professors gathered to examine the plan from various perspectives. The professors say that by using the canal, it could take up to 100 hours to move freight from Seoul to Busan, a job that takes about 10 hours on an overland route. An economics professor projected that the entire project would cost between 40 trillion won ($44 billion) and 50 trillion won, and the economic benefits would be about 5 to 28 won for every 100 won spent. Lee's aides have estimated that the construction will cost 14 to 20 trillion won. |
2MB is so completely full of shit. There are so many more effective ways to cut greenhouse gases than this mad canal plan. He claims 80% of road freight will be carried on the canal, but even in Germany, which has a fairly big, well-used canal network, the proportion of goods moved by canal is at best something like 15%. |
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normalcyispasse
Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Location: Yeosu until the end of February WOOOOOOOO
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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He seems to have been elected based on the economic strength of his engineering programs, so why should his presidency be any different? Is it not the nature of the beast anywhere to overhype projects and proclaim their efficacy?
I really don't think this project will get far off the ground. Cooler heads must prevail; this plan doesn't even look that good on paper. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: Grand canal facing growing opposition |
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| kiwiduncan wrote: |
| 2MB is so completely full of *beep*. There are so many more effective ways to cut greenhouse gases than this mad canal plan. He claims 80% of road freight will be carried on the canal, but even in Germany, which has a fairly big, well-used canal network, the proportion of goods moved by canal is at best something like 15%. |
Now if Korea had a great lakes system...
Yeah madness. I'm telling you he's lifted his idea straight out of a wacko utopian cult called Technocracy whose major plan is to create a grand canal network across North America.
Everything that comes out of his mouth makes so much sense: cut government, make Korea friendly to foreign investment, etc. And then he pipes up about this canal idea and I'm like "errr". |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: Grand canal facing growing opposition |
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| kiwiduncan wrote: |
| He said the plan is partly aimed to protect the environment and to better control flooding. |
 Its always amazing how developers and politicians come out with bald-faced lies.
The construction industry is too big in this country and holds a lot of political power. They also demand more and more needless projects to keep them going. The industry should have been cut in half already.
But instead they are heading into over-development.
Thats what happens when a country is ruled by businessmen and there are no planning permission or conservation bodies. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:13 pm Post subject: Re: Grand canal facing growing opposition |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
Everything that comes out of his mouth makes so much sense: cut government, make Korea friendly to foreign investment, etc. And then he pipes up about this canal idea and I'm like "errr". |
As a fellow atheist I'm surprised you think this. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:51 pm Post subject: Re: Grand canal facing growing opposition |
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| Julius wrote: |
| kiwiduncan wrote: |
| He said the plan is partly aimed to protect the environment and to better control flooding. |
Its always amazing how developers and politicians come out with bald-faced lies.
The construction industry is too big in this country and holds a lot of political power. They also demand more and more needless projects to keep them going. The industry should have been cut in half already.
But instead they are heading into over-development.
Thats what happens when a country is ruled by businessmen and there are no planning permission or conservation bodies. |
They claim that dredging the shit out of the rivers (and in the process destroying the ecosystem and reducing the rivers' self-cleansing ability) will reduce flooding risks by increasing the water holding capacity of the rivers. But in order to have enough water depth for the ships - a river depth of 6-9 metres in rivers that have a natural average depth of 2-3 metres - they'll need to keep the lakes and reservoirs topped up year round. This means when the rainy season comes all the extra water will flow down into already brimming lakes.
Also, LMB and his cronies believe by dredging the rivers they'll be able to remove heavy metal contaminants. But the heavy metals are currently relatively safely buried in the sediments, and dredging will actually worsen water quality.
I too agree that Korea is getting to a stage of 'over-development', where the focus is still far too much on a few badly planned mega-projects rather than hundreds or thousands of smaller programmes that would probably bring more benefits.
I think they do have some degree of environmental protection and some good environmental protection laws, but the problem lies with a lack of adherence and enforcement. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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Kiwiduncan,
Can you post the details for the demonstration?
I'm glad to hear there is creditable opposition to the plan. I really have been worried (and still am) that this will be pushed through reguardless of how people feel. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:04 am Post subject: |
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| Milwaukiedave wrote: |
Kiwiduncan,
Can you post the details for the demonstration?
I'm glad to hear there is creditable opposition to the plan. I really have been worried (and still am) that this will be pushed through reguardless of how people feel. |
Dave. The march starts in front of the central post office in Seoul at 2pm on Sunday February 24th. Do you think you might join in? |
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idonojacs
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:25 am Post subject: |
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I think a canal network for Korea is a great idea!
While you're at it, you should also replace all the intercity trains and buses with a fleet of dirigibles and hot air balloons. |
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Leslie Cheswyck
Joined: 31 May 2003
Location: University of Western Chile
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:46 am Post subject: |
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Think of the employment opportunities! |
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Easter Clark
Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:04 am Post subject: |
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| He just wants to make his mark on Korea's history. Whether it's a good or bad idea doesn't matter to him--as long as he's "Remembered for something!" That's the scary part... |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:17 am Post subject: |
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| Leslie Cheswyck wrote: |
Think of the employment opportunities! |
I do believe there are canals in China where workers actually pull the barges along the length of the whole canal. The workers actually hire themselves a task master to whip them when they slack off. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Easter Clark wrote: |
| He just wants to make his mark on Korea's history. Whether it's a good or bad idea doesn't matter to him--as long as he's "Remembered for something!" That's the scary part... |
Park Geun Hye, daughter of the old dictator Park Chung Hee and LMB's former leaderhsip rival within the Grand National Party, is also opposed to the canal plans. She thinks it's going to be a white elephant. You're right, LMB is weird old megalomaniac who wants people to be using his canal 500 years from now and erecting statues of him in the middle of Seoul. |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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I think the Grand Canal is a great idea that will effectively reduce Korea's carbon footprint...they should build a whole bunch of them, IMHO. High five Lee Myung-bak!  |
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