By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

Seoul officials participated in a series of events in Los Angeles over the weekend to promote the four-river restoration project, aimed at refurbishing Korea's four main rivers ― the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan. Construction began in November 2009. The project is worth $19 billion, the biggest civil engineering project by the current administration.

"The promotional events in Los Angeles were initiated by a local environmental organization. We will participate in similar overseas promotions, if the opportunity presents itself," an official of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.

The events included a press conference and a forum, where more than 500 officials from the city administration and council as well as citizens participated.

Friends of the Los Angeles River (FOLAR), a pro-environment group, with a membership of 7,000, invited Korean officials to exchange ideas and suggestions about restoring the endangered rivers.

"The Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles connected us with FOLAR. Local participants were concerned with restoring the state of rivers there and they wanted to hear about our plans for the four rivers as well as our past experiences with the Cheonggye Stream Restoration Project," the official added.

The ministry called the promotional events a good opportunity to introduce the project to overseas Koreans in LA and LA policymakers.

Lewis MacAdams, head of FOLAR, said that he wants to incorporate Korea's knowhow into their "Los Angeles River Project." LA officials expressed interest in visiting Korea in the near future to witness progress in the refurbishment.

Some media experts see this as a typical method of generating positive publicity ― bringing in foreign experts to put a favorable spin on a difficult domestic agenda.

The government has used such cases of foreign support to justify divisive policies.

"The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called the project a model case of green growth ventures. French scholars specializing in urban redevelopment also gave an enthusiastic assessment of the project," Minister Chung Jong-hwan said in a televised debate in early January. "Domestically assessment has been negative, but foreigners have been very positive."

The National Assembly Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Committee endorsed in December 2009 a spending plan for the project without putting it to a vote.

In a recent survey by Research & Research, almost 70 percent of the respondents said that the project should be suspended or downscaled. Around 25 percent showed approval.

To counter negative sentiment, the ministry has been spending excessively on promotional efforts.

The ministry spent 6 billion won on promoting the project in 2009, according to Rep. Lee Yong-sup of the opposition Democratic Party (DP). It will spend around 8.5 billion won this year for TV, radio and newspaper advertisements as well as promotional videos, Web sites and surveys.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr