▲ This image, taken on April 3, 2023, shows the Seungchon Weir on the Yeongsan River. (Yonhap)

audit-river project

Audit shows biased evaluation in dismantling weirs on 4 rivers under Moon gov't

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, July 20 (Yonhap) -- The state audit agency said Thursday that a biased evaluation was used in the previous Moon Jae-in administration's decision on dismantling weirs on two of the nation's four major rivers.

The so-called four rivers project, which centered on building weirs on four major rivers -- Geum, Yeongsan, Nakdong and Han -- was a key part of the election pledges of conservative former President Lee Myung-bak, who served from 2008 to 2013. A weir refers to a low barrier built across a river in order to control and direct the flow of water.

In 2018, the Ministry of Environment and civilian experts established a committee to evaluate the project, and came to a decision to permanently dismantle the Sejong Weir on the Geum River in central South Korea and the Juksan Weir on the Yeongsan River in the southwestern region. Additionally, it was decided to partially dismantle the Gongju Weir on the Geum River while opening the Baekje Weir on the Geum River and the Seungchon Weir on the Yeongsan River at all times.

Wrapping up its inspection, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) concluded Thursday that 25 out of 43 expert members of the committee were recommended by a civic group opposing the four-river project. The other eight civilian members were also recommended by the same group.

The BAI accused former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung of putting together a biased group of people for the committee via an explicit instruction.

"The selection of committee members should not lean toward either the side of approving or disapproving the four-river project," the BAI said.

The BAI said it has also asked the prosecution to investigate Kim and other committee members.

The conservative Lee government completed the restoration project of the four rivers at a cost of 22 trillion won (US$17.3 billion) in 2011 in a bid to combat water scarcity, improve water quality and restore river ecosystems.

But after his inauguration in 2017, President Moon criticized the costly restoration project and 16 weirs built across the four rivers for worsening water quality and spreading harmful green tides.

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