"Repeal the Special Act on Coal Mine Closure by February"‥ Gongchu Committee's Final Ultimatum with 'Resolve for the Second Sabuk Incident'

Gongchuwi, "Opposition to Abolishing Statute of Limitations Considered a Public Enemy in Mine Closure Areas"
Seven City and County Councils of Nationwide Mine Closure Areas, "Time-Limited Provisions Are Discriminatory Ideas"
Agreement on March Resident Protest March of Four Mine Closure Cities and Counties

[Provided by the Planning and Coordination Office of the Gohan, Sabuk, Nam-myeon, and Sindong Regional Revitalization Joint Promotion Committee]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] The 'Joint Conference of Resident Organizations from Four Mining Area Cities and Counties for the Early Amendment of the Special Act on Development Support for Mining Areas (hereinafter referred to as the Mining Special Act)' has transformed into a protest organization and issued a final ultimatum to the government ahead of an all-out struggle.

The Joint Conference held its 3rd emergency meeting on the 19th at the Sabuk Ppuri Hall and declared, "We are transforming the Joint Conference into a protest organization."

The Joint Conference stated, "We urge the National Assembly's Industry, Trade and Energy Committee's bill review subcommittee to reach a final agreement on the abolition of the Mining Special Act's expiration on the 22nd. If the expiration is not abolished by the end of February, we will launch a strong anti-government struggle."

Additionally, the Joint Conference announced plans to hold a 'Cutting off the Time-Limited Shackles of Mining Areas and Residents' Protest Departure Ceremony' on March 3rd, the anniversary of the residents' movement that led to the enactment of the Mining Area Act in 1995. Following this, thousands of residents across mining areas including Gohan and Sabuk will participate in a 'Human Chain' event.

They also agreed to conduct a protest march to Seoul on the 23rd of the same month at 2 p.m., with 10,000 residents from the four cities and counties participating at locations including the Blue House and the National Assembly.

On this day, the Joint Conference appointed four representatives from the four cities and counties' resident organizations, including Kim Tae-ho, Chairman of the Joint Promotion Committee, and Park In-gyu, Chairman of the Hyundai Committee, as co-chairs of the joint struggle committee, and resolved to maintain close communication for future joint protests.

The resident organizations and councils of the four mining area cities and counties plan to announce a government declaration containing a final ultimatum regarding the abolition of the Mining Special Act's expiration on the 22nd.

A banner reading 'Abolish the Special Act on Coal Mine Closure Statute of Limitations' is hung in the downtown area of Sabuk-eup [Provided by Jeongseon-gun]

Earlier, in September last year, six resident organizations including the Gohan-Sabuk-Nammyeon-Sindong Regional Revitalization Joint Promotion Committee, the Taebaek City Regional Issues Countermeasure Committee, Dogye-eup Prosperity Association, Yeongwol County Prosperity Association, Jeongseon County Prosperity Federation, and Taebaek City Prosperity Association launched the 'Joint Conference of Resident Organizations from Four Mining Area Cities and Counties' and declared that if the early amendment of the Mining Special Act is not realized, they would transform into a protest organization.

Kim Tae-ho, co-chairman of the joint struggle committee for abolishing the Mining Special Act's expiration, stated, "Abolishing the expiration of the Mining Special Act is a critical, non-negotiable task that will determine whether the mining areas disappear or continue. If any politician opposes the abolition while casually mentioning the extension of the Act, they will be considered a public enemy of the mining areas."

Co-chairman Park In-gyu also emphasized, "The vital issue for the region is not the amendment of the Mining Industry Corporation Act but the abolition of the Mining Area Act's expiration." He added, "The government must not delay the amendment of the Mining Special Act, and if the issue is not resolved by March, the residents of Taebaek City will demonstrate their strong will through decisive action," reaffirming a firm stance on protest.

Park Seung-gi, chairman of the Jeongseon County Prosperity Federation, warned, "Whether we die from COVID-19 or the mining area's economy collapses, it's the same. The government must stop using COVID-19 as an excuse to silence the voices of mining area residents. If the government continues to ignore the voices of mining area residents, it must prepare for a second Sabuk incident."

Park Ji-seok, vice chairman of the Dogye-eup Prosperity Association, urged the government to act, saying, "The government is leaving the mining area issues to casinos and watching passively. The residents of the mining areas stand at a crossroads of survival, and if the government does not fulfill its duties, we residents will have no choice but to consider that the government has abandoned us, just like during the 1995 residents' uprising."

National Abandoned Mine Area City and County Council Chairpersons Association [Provided by Jeongseon-gun]

Meanwhile, on the same day, the councils of seven mining area cities and counties nationwide also issued a statement urging the abolition of the expiration of the Special Act on Development Support for Mining Areas, the biggest issue in mining areas.

The councils of seven mining area cities and counties nationwide, including Taebaek, Samcheok, Yeongwol, Jeongseon, Boryeong, Hwasun, and Mungyeong, held a meeting at the Jeongseon County Council and stated, "There is a growing voice in the local community to abolish the expiration through amendment of the Mining Special Act," and called for government action.

At the meeting, they resolved to establish the Nationwide Mining Area Seven Cities and Counties Council Chairpersons' Association and agreed to jointly respond to government-related ministries such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to resolve the issue.

The association criticized, "The government repeats futile controversies with temporary measures due to the time-limited provisions that limit alternative industry development and continuous investment, showing a lukewarm attitude toward fundamental legal amendments to solve mining area problems."

They further emphasized, "The fact that only the 'Mining Area Act' has an application time limit, unlike other special laws such as the Jeju Special Act, Saemangeum Project Act, and Border Area Act, is nothing but a discriminatory idea against our mining area residents, just as miners were discriminated against in the past."

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