Cable car approval draws backlash

A placard hung outside a building in Yangyang County in Gangwon Province celebrates the approval of a cable car project on Mount Seorak, Monday. Environmentalists and some opposition lawmakers are against the construction, saying it will pose environmental threats to the mountain. / Yonhap

Civic groups plan legal actions, lawmakers to scrutinize approval process

By Kim Se-jeong

The government’s approval of the construction of a cable car route at Mount Seorak in Gangwon Province is drawing fierce protest from environmentalists and some opposition lawmakers.

Environmental activists demand the project be cancelled because of environmental threats to the mountain, claiming it was promoted without a thorough review.

A coalition of environmental NGOs plan to file a complaint with the administrative court to void the approval.

On Friday, a government review committee voted for the plan to connect Osaek to Kkeutcheong Peak at the nation’s third-highest mountain.

The coalition claims that the project will threaten the biodiversity of the region, which is home to almost 350 mountain goats that are on Korea’s endangered species list. The mountain is also listed on the UNESCO’s preservation list.

“The mountain is a habitat for endangered species, and the project, if it should be built, will by all means ruin it,” Yoon Sang-hoon, an activist from Green Korea, said.

The project was previously rejected twice, in 2012 and 2013. This time, the committee gave it a go on the condition that the local government of Yangyang County comes up with a plan to keep the habitat sustainable for the goats.

But the local government is also drawing fire from environmentalists for allegedly hiding details of the review that are critical of the project.

According to Green Korea, the local government kept secret the review by the Korea Forest Service, which said the cable car sites may be vulnerable to landslides.

Lawmakers from the opposition party joined the environmentalists in criticizing the plan. Rep. Sim Sang-jeung of the minor opposition Justice Party raised the suspicion that the local government inflated the number of visitors expected in an attempt to win approval.

Rep. Sim also criticized the Ministry of Environment for giving in to President Park Geun-hye’s wishes. Last year, the president supported the project and many believe that factored into last week’s decision.

“This incident shows that the ministry lost its soul,” Sim said. “It does whatever the president wants.”

She said the process of approval should be scrutinized at the National Assembly.

The activists also want Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu to step down and be held accountable for letting the plan be approved.

Despite opposition, Gangwon residents welcome the decision, expecting that the new infrastructure will attract tourists to the region and contribute to the sluggish local economy. Hundreds of residents held a celebration party on Monday.

According to the approved plan, six pillars will be erected to build a 3.5-kilometer-long route. The project will begin in June next year and be completed by 2017 at a cost of 46 billion won.

The government expects the cable cars to generate more than 10 billion won in revenue per year.