Lee Reaffirms Scrapping of Canal Plan
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak reaffirmed his earlier pledges Wednesday that he would not push for the construction of a cross-country canal.
He dismissed speculation from opposition parties that the government's four-river refurbishment project is aimed at laying the foundation for the canal, saying he was embarrassed at their move to cut the proposed budget for the project.
``The government has already announced that it will not build the canal. It is physically impossible to do so during my tenure,'' Lee said during a joint briefing by four ministries at Cheong Wa Dae. Lee's five-year term ends in February 2013. He is banned from seeking reelection under the Constitution.
Building a cross-country canal was one of Lee's key campaign pledges during the presidential election in 2007.
However, he pledged last year to drop the canal project in the face of mounting public objections. The administration instead announced a five-year project to refurbish four rivers nationwide ― the Han, Youngsan, Nakdong and Geum ― as part of efforts to resolve water shortages and enhance the environment.
President Lee called the four-river project an internationally announced environmental effort aimed at fighting climate change, suggesting that changing its course would undermine the Korean government's credibility worldwide.
He also stressed the need to implement the project on schedule, saying the large-scale construction program would not only boost economic recovery, but also create jobs.
Opposition parties have refused to vote on the government-proposed 2010 budget, demanding a cut in the amount of money set for the river project. Last week, Lee instructed the Cabinet to set up a provisional spending plan and other contingency measures in case the National Assembly fails to meet the Dec. 31 deadline for budget approval.
The ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party belatedly began discussing the state budget and spending for the river restoration project separately this week.
The President said he was concerned that the controversy over the spending plans may cause delays in major government projects and that this would cause serious damage to the country and undermine efforts to revive the economy.
``We will continue to maintain an emergency economic steering system at least until next June. The government will quickly and effectively implement its programs from Jan. 1 if the budget bill is passed this week,'' Lee said at the meeting with the ministers.