Daegu Civic Group "If Palgongsan Cloud Bridge is Forced, We Will Launch Strong Resistance"

Daegu City Shows Determination to Proceed Despite Opposition from Donghwasa vs 9 Civic Groups Call It a "Preferential Treatment Suspicion Project"

Aerial view of Palgongsan Cloud Bridge.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] As Daegu City has expressed its intention to proceed with the Palgongsan Cloud Bridge construction project, civic groups in the Daegu area have come forward urging the withdrawal of the project, calling it a 'preferential suspicion project' concentrated on a specific company.

On the 15th, nine civic groups including the Daegu Federation of Economic Justice and the Environmental Movement Federation declared in a statement, "If the Mayor of Daegu unilaterally continues to push forward the 'preferential suspicion project' despite the many concerns of citizens struggling due to 'COVID-19,' we will use strong legal measures and fight to the end."

These groups claimed, "While promoting a large-scale project worth 18 billion KRW over several years with national and local funds (entirely through local bonds issuance), proceeding with the development project unconditionally without even securing the 'land use rights' for the construction site (land of Jogye Order Donghwasa Temple) can only be understood as a 'preferential suspicion project' aimed at giving enormous profits to a 'specific company.'"

They continued, "Daegu City promised to transparently disclose the negotiation process regarding 'excess profit return,' but skipped the entire process and suddenly, after selecting the construction company (procurement), the refund amount (3% of sales) seems high. Daegu City should clarify why it appears to represent a specific company," raising suspicions.

Regarding the 60% approval rate from the 'Citizen Roundtable Meeting,' which Daegu City uses as grounds to push forward, the civic groups emphasized, "The Citizen Roundtable Meeting is merely a process for gathering citizens' opinions, not a policy decision-making body," and "The purpose of the Citizen Roundtable Meeting should not be distorted and used as a means to justify and rationalize Daegu City's policy promotion."

They further demanded, "Establish a comprehensive and systematic plan for the ecological restoration project that enhances the ecological value of Palgongsan for future generations, and actively promote 'Palgongsan' as a national 'ecotourism attraction' project," calling for a halt to reckless development.

The nine civic groups participating in the statement from the Daegu area are the Daegu Safety Life Practice Citizens' Coalition, Daegu Participation Solidarity, Daegu Environmental Movement Federation, Daegu Federation of Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition, Daegu Parliamentary Participation Center, Daegu Green Consumer Network, Life and Peace Asia (nonprofit), Yeongnam Nature Ecology Preservation Society, and the Green Party Daegu Metropolitan City Party Solidarity.

Meanwhile, regarding this issue, Park Hee-jun, Director of the Daegu City Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said at a press conference on the 14th, "Daegu City's basic position is to proceed with the construction," adding, "However, since it is not right for Daegu City to decide on a project that has been promoted for five years alone, we will request advice from the Conflict Mediation Committee within this week to gather final opinions from related experts and the media, and then announce our position again."

Daegu City plans to persuade stakeholders by the 21st in response to a letter from Donghwasa Temple opposing the construction sent on the 8th. If the project does not start by that day, Daegu City must return all national funds.

The Palgongsan Cloud Bridge construction project involves installing a 320m-long, 2m-wide cloud bridge connecting the Palgongsan summit cable car and Dongbong (Naktabong). It is the highest (820m above sea level) and longest mountain-type cloud bridge in the country. The project cost is 18 billion KRW, of which 2.5 billion KRW is national funding.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.