The Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs has unsuccessfully attempted to refute the findings of a Board of Audit and Inspection report on the functionality and safety of the Four Major Rivers Project. Auditors started in May 2011to raise serious concerns over the safety, water quality management, and maintenance of the large-scale refurbishment project. The government must now stop avoiding responsibility and humbly accept the report’s findings.

The government must undertake an immediate and objective investigation into the safety of the weirs. An independent and objective investigative team should be set up to identify problems and thoroughly prepare counter measures. This investigation should review weir safety, maintenance and construction costs and, if necessary, consider demolishing the weirs. It must be part of a detailed inquiry into the decision making process behind the Four Major Rivers Project’s business decisions, as well as budget organization and implementation, and project design and implementation. Political and legal responsibility should then be assigned. Park Geun-hye, who pledged as presidential candidate that she would establish an investigation committee if there were failures or irregularities found in the Four Major Rivers Project, now has no reason not to carry her words into action.

The auditors pointed out that in 15 of the 16 weirs, concrete river beds, to protect the weirs have subsided or been swept away, and that due to erosion the Changnyeong and Haman weirs have caved in to a depth of 20 meters. The auditors also pointed out the faulty Ministry of Land guidelines were the source of the safety problems. The first large scale Four Major Rivers Project facilities were 4-12 meters in height, but the necessary standard of durable safety facilities was not adhered to.

The Ministry did not meet the world standard of design for the concrete riverbeds. Saying this was to compensate for the effects of the flood season is a poor excuse. The Ministry itself acknowledged there was no experience of implementing such a large-scale project at home or abroad. But instead of undertaking a meticulous preliminary report and then waiting to see the outcome of test results from one location, they rushed ahead with the entire nationwide project. The project therefore ended up being riddled with problems.

The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out that water quality had also worsened. The Ministry of the Environment’s 6 trillion won investment project to improve water quality was reduced by half in the consultation process. This is pathetic. The government may have closed its eyes to the truth, but everybody knows that behind the efforts to defend the project is the Blue House, which is also trying to label those who point out flaws in the project as unpatriotic.

　

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