Gyeonggi Province: "It Is Not True That Mayor Jo Gwang-han of Namyangju Was the First to Initiate the Stream Valley Project"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Among Gyeonggi Province, Namyangju City, and Ulju-gun in Ulsan Metropolitan City, which started the river and valley maintenance project first?

According to Gyeonggi Province and Ulju-gun on the 9th, contrary to Mayor Jo Gwang-han's claim of 'policy plagiarism by Gyeonggi Province,' Ulju-gun in Ulsan first began the river and valley maintenance project in August 2017. Gyeonggi Province and Namyangju City started similar projects about a year later, in July and August 2018, respectively.

As a result, Mayor Jo Gwang-han's previous claims of policy plagiarism and being the first to initiate the project against Gyeonggi Province have inevitably lost their significance.

◆ What sparked the controversy over the river and valley maintenance projects in Gyeonggi Province and Namyangju?

The controversy surrounding the river and valley maintenance projects was triggered when Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan pointed out at the Democratic Party presidential primary joint debate hosted by KBS at 10:30 p.m. on the 3rd that "the claim by Gyeonggi Province that it was the first nationwide to remove illegal facilities in rivers and valleys is not true."

In response, a representative from Governor Lee Jae-myung's side said, "(Lawmaker Kim) asked the question with the strategic intent to tarnish Governor Lee," and added, "If he knew even a little about the project's progress, he wouldn't say that."

◆ Is Namyangju City really the first as Mayor Jo Gwang-han claims?

To conclude, the first place in the nation to start river and valley maintenance work was Ulju-gun in Ulsan Metropolitan City. Ulju-gun began demolition through administrative enforcement of about 30 illegal platforms in August 2017. This was effectively the starting signal for valley maintenance and laid the groundwork for its nationwide spread.

This is one year earlier than August 2018, when Mayor Jo Gwang-han of Namyangju City claimed on his Facebook that the river and valley maintenance project was carried out.

Ulju-gun Stream Valley Maintenance Project Reported in the Media in August 2017

A provincial official rebutted, "Mayor Jo claims that Namyangju City was the first to start the river and valley maintenance project, but Ulju-gun had already been conducting the project for a year and achieving significant results."

◆ Did Gyeonggi Province plagiarize Namyangju City's policy?

Mayor Jo Gwang-han asserts that Gyeonggi Province plagiarized Namyangju City's river and valley maintenance policy. Gyeonggi Province, however, considers this claim absurd.

An official from the provincial river department stated, "Gyeonggi Province's river and valley maintenance project began on July 10, just 10 days after Governor Lee Jae-myung's 7th term started, when cooperation request letters were sent to 31 cities and counties," adding, "This is about one month earlier than the period of Namyangju City's river and valley maintenance project claimed by Mayor Jo."

Official Notice from Gyeonggi Province on July 10, 2018, Sent to 31 Cities and Counties within the Province Regarding Crackdown on Illegal Activities in River Valleys

The official particularly pointed out, "Even if Namyangju City had initiated the policy first as Mayor Jo claims, calling it plagiarism rather than benchmarking is nonsense."

He also criticized, "Namyangju City should focus on administrative projects for its citizens and achieve results, while Gyeonggi Province, as a metropolitan government, should administer the integrated governance of 31 cities and counties, including Namyangju, where 13.8 million Gyeonggi residents live. It is hard to accept that a basic local government like Namyangju compares its policies with those of a metropolitan government like Gyeonggi Province."

◆ Is Gyeonggi Province conducting retaliatory audits against Namyangju City over 'policy plagiarism' claims?

Mayor Jo Gwang-han stated in a press release on the 6th, "What angered me the most was the retaliatory audits against our Namyangju City employees who raised issues about Gyeonggi Province's behavior (policy plagiarism)," and criticized, "Gyeonggi Province launched retaliatory audits under the pretext of special investigations targeting employees who commented that Namyangju was the first in response to press releases claiming Gyeonggi was first, and tried to frame it as public opinion manipulation. This is truly petty and narrow-minded."

However, Gyeonggi Province does not agree with these claims.

An official from the Gyeonggi Province Audit Office said, "Mayor Jo Gwang-han and Namyangju City have been subject to numerous corruption allegations through direct and indirect reports from close associates," and claimed, "In this situation, Gyeonggi Province tried to conduct audits, but Mayor Jo refused."

Mayor Jo and Namyangju City have faced various allegations including preferential treatment in the Yangjeong Station area development project, unfair selection of contractors for the art club competition, violations of COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, preferential treatment related to public property purchases, and controversies over the appropriateness of building permit changes.

Mayor Jo is currently indicted on charges of obstruction of business related to the recent hiring of the head of the audit office at Namyangju Urban Corporation. The Democratic Party's Supreme Council held a closed meeting on the 8th, suspending Mayor Jo's party duties and referring him to the party's Ethics Tribunal for investigation.

◆ Achievements of Gyeonggi Province's river and valley maintenance project?

As of the end of June this year, Gyeonggi Province identified 1,601 illegal facilities in 234 valleys and rivers across 25 cities and counties and demolished 1,576 of them (98.7%). Among the 25 remaining illegal facilities not yet removed, 18 are residential facilities, and the province plans to work with the respective cities and counties to arrange relocations within this year.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (third from the right) is visiting the clean valley in Gapyeong County and taking a commemorative photo with officials.

Additionally, for seven cases currently under litigation, demolition procedures will proceed according to the court's decision to complete the removal of illegal facilities within the year. The province also plans to focus on supporting clean valley restoration areas and sustainable maintenance.

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