Mega-size Saemangeum project gaining speed
GUNSAN, North Jeolla Province — Driving along the west coast, people meet a sea dike that seems endless and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest seawall in the world. The completion of the 33.9 kilometer sea dike connecting Gunsan and Buan on Korea’s west coast in 2010 marked the first big step in the Saemangeum Project, the biggest civil engineering project in the country’s history.
The 22.2 trillion won project, where 291 square kilometers of land will be reclaimed along with 118 square kilometers of newly created lakes, is accelerating with ongoing road construction penetrating the area from east to west. The Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency completed 31 percent of the 16.5 kilometer-road, which will link the Saemangeum sea dike with a highway in Gimje, North Jeolla Province.
Visitors to the construction site will be amazed to see the road being built in the middle of endless water. Car navigation will show the location as being in the middle of water as it is not reflected in the navigation system yet.
When it is completed in June 2020 as planned, it will be the main axis of transportation in Saemangeum, along with another road running from south to north. Construction of the second road will begin this November, to be completed in 2022.
“When the east-west road is completed, it will greatly improve access within Saemangeum, helping not only with our development plan but also with attracting investment,” said Oh Ju-yong, director in charge of the infrastructure division at the agency.
When all roads within Saemangeum are complete as scheduled, residents will be able to arrive at any corner of Saemangeum within 20 minutes.
The Saemangeum Project also includes building an 18.5 square kilometer industrial and science research complex.
Currently, reclamation is ongoing, recording a 20.6 percent completion rate as of January. Some investors, including Japan’s Toray and Belgium’s Solvay, have already completed building facilities there.
Its location at the center of Northeast Asia, being close to Chinese mega cities, will help develop Saemangeum into a global economic hub. The government is also offering diverse incentives and administrative favors for businesses investing there.
Saemangeum will also harbor an international cooperation area to attract headquarters of global businesses, as well as areas dedicated to tourism, leisure, and agriculture, on top of an upscale residential area to attract foreigners. There will also be an ecology zone, preserving swamps and other natural assets of the region, enabling both development and preservation.