Yoon Administration Halts Construction on 7 of 14 Planned New Dams... Remaining Projects to Be Decided Through Public Discussion

Project Cost Reduced from 4.7 Trillion Won to 2 Trillion Won

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has decided to halt construction on 7 out of 14 planned new dams. For the remaining 7 dams, the government will determine whether to proceed after conducting basic planning and public consultation, given the significant local conflicts and the need to review alternatives.

On September 29, Minister of Environment Kim Sungwhan stated in a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong, "If the final decisions on the 7 dams are made through public consultation and other processes, the total project cost, originally estimated at 4.7 trillion won, is expected to be reduced to around 2 trillion won."

Kim Sungwhan, nominee for Minister of Environment, is responding to questions from committee members at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on July 15, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Previous Administration's 'Climate Response Dam' Plan Faces Questions Over Scale and Effectiveness

The previous Yoon administration had announced plans to build 14 new dams under the name "climate response dams," citing the need to address extreme floods and droughts caused by the climate crisis. However, the total storage capacity of these new dams would be about 320 million cubic meters, which is only 11% of the capacity of Soyanggang Dam, the largest in South Korea (2.9 billion cubic meters).

According to the Ministry of Environment, some of the dams were planned without thoroughly reviewing local demand or alternatives, and the projects prioritized dam construction over options such as river maintenance or utilizing existing reservoirs. In some cases, projects that had previously been canceled due to local opposition were revived, or community briefings were held only after the announcement, sparking backlash from local residents.

Additionally, alternatives such as using Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's pumped-storage dams or Korea Rural Community Corporation's agricultural reservoirs for flood control were not sufficiently considered. The Ministry of Environment judged that pushing forward with such projects without proper review could lead to significant fiscal burdens.

Yonhap News

Construction Halted on 7 Dams: "Low Necessity and Strong Local Opposition"

Following a detailed re-examination, the Ministry of Environment decided to halt construction on 7 new dams. These are the Yanggu Suipcheon Dam, Danyang Danyangcheon Dam, Suncheon Okcheon Dam, Hwasun Dongbokcheon Dam, Samcheok Sangicheon Dam, Cheongdo Unmuncheon Dam, and Yecheon Yongducheon Dam.

The Suipcheon Dam, Danyangcheon Dam, and Okcheon Dam had already been put on hold by the previous administration due to strong local opposition. The Dongbokcheon Dam, which involved building a new dam between the existing Juam and Dongbok dams, also faced fierce resistance from residents.

For the Yecheon Yongducheon Dam and Cheongdo Unmuncheon Dam, alternatives to dam construction were found to be more viable. In the case of the Yongducheon Dam, installing floodgates on the existing 9 million-ton pumped-storage dam downstream would provide greater flood control capacity than the planned 2.1 million-ton Yongducheon Dam. This approach would reduce the project cost to one-third and shorten the construction period by about two years.

The Unmuncheon Dam was planned as a new facility within the existing Unmun Dam, but analysis found that once river maintenance downstream of Unmun Dam is completed in 2030, additional water supply could be secured simply by restoring the dam's operating water level. Currently, the Unmun Dam is operated at a water level 5 meters lower than usual to ensure downstream safety during flood season.

Final Decisions on Remaining 7 Dams Through Public Consultation

The remaining 7 dams are classified as cases where there are intense local disputes or a need to review alternatives. These include the Cheongyang-Buyeo Jicheon Dam, Gimcheon Gamcheon Dam, Yeoncheon Amicheon Dam, Uiryeong Garyecheon Dam, Geoje Gohyeoncheon Dam, Ulsan Hoeya River Dam, and Gangjin Byeongyeongcheon Dam.

For the Jicheon Dam and Gamcheon Dam, due to severe local conflict, the government will consider various alternatives, such as abandoning the project at the basic planning stage, building a flood control dam, or additional river maintenance. While the need for flood control measures for the Amicheon Dam is acknowledged, a thorough assessment is required to determine whether a multipurpose dam or a flood control dam is appropriate.

The Ministry of Environment stated that for these dams, it will rigorously examine not only whether to build them, but also their scale, purpose, and project costs to objectively assess the necessity. Since July this year, a re-evaluation process has been underway to comprehensively review the flood and drought prevention effects of new dams and the level of local community acceptance.

To address shortcomings revealed during the re-evaluation of the new dams, the government will implement additional measures and institutional improvements. First, for complaints raised by residents near existing dams, support projects funded by the water system fund will be expanded. The aim is to strengthen support measures that residents can tangibly benefit from, regardless of whether dam construction proceeds.

Furthermore, the government will promote inter-agency cooperation to expand and strengthen flood control functions not only for dams managed by Korea Water Resources Corporation, but also for pumped-storage dams operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, agricultural reservoirs managed by Korea Rural Community Corporation, and municipal water supply dams.

Minister Kim stated, "Regardless of whether new dams are built, we will strengthen support to ensure the safety and livelihoods of residents. Going forward, we will shift our policy focus from building new dams to making more efficient use of existing dams and facilities."

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