● Is it a necessary construction project through the transmission tower of Baekdu-daegan?

"You don't use electricity, live~"

reported on SBS 8 news on July 30 ▶ The electric cable penetrating the Baekdu-daegan?… This
is one of the comments on the transmission tower article in the Geumgangsong colony . It is understood that it is possible to postpone the construction of the necessary transmission tower for the environment. I admit it. Electricity is essential for our lives. If the electricity supply is not smooth, it must be supplemented by additional construction of transmission towers. The construction of a transmission tower cannot be seen only from an'environmental perspective'.

The Korea Electric Power Corporation says that this 500KV Shingapyeong~East Coast transmission tower construction project is a necessary project to smoothly supply electricity to the metropolitan area. By 2024, three new power plants (Shinhanwool, Gangneung Anin, and Samcheok Thermal Power Plant) will be built on the East Coast. Total production power will increase to 17 GW. The transmission capacity of the current transmission line is 10.6 GW. It means that it is necessary to construct an additional transmission tower because it cannot handle 17GW. It is a moment to gather the wisdom of how to minimize the destruction of the environment by promoting the power transmission tower construction project.


● How high is the preservation value of "goats, ferrets, and livestock"?

KEPCO is currently planning to install 440 transmission towers from Uljin, Gyeongbuk to 230km in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do. Geographically, it will penetrate the Baekdu-daegan. Due to the high conservation value, the section designated as the'forest genetic resource reserve' also passes. There are two forest genetic resource reserves in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk and one in Uljin, Gyeongbuk.

The Forest Genetic Resource Reserve is a place of high conservation value for the conservation of plant genes or forest ecosystems. Civil works as well as access to the public are controlled. Rare flora and fauna live in this area. At this time, 10 endangered animals live in Bonghwa, Uljin, and Gangwon Samcheok, Gyeongbuk provinces. Rare animals and plants, such as goats, marten, 삵, and tail rhododendrons, are often caught by this large unmanned camera. In particular, for goats, the number of goats in the <Park Samcheok and Uljin, etc. and Management Plan Report>> published by the National Park Authority in 2019 is shown. There are 126 in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, 73 in Samcheok, and 14 in Taebaeksan (Taebaek in Gangwon, Bonghwa in Gyeongbuk). Dr. Jaeyoon Cho of the National Park Corporation says the area is the southernmost goat habitat in Korea.


The area is also a colony of Geumgang pine trees. Geumgang Pine is a native species. Wood is less warped and lighter than ordinary pine trees. The strength of wood is also high. It is also used as wood for the palaces of the Joseon Dynasty and is also called the'King's Tree'. Bonghwa-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, which occupies 20% of the installation section of the transmission tower, is one of the geumgang pine trees communities. During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese people looted a large pine tree and took it to their homeland. Even today, there are traces of the looting of the Japanese colonial era in Chunyang-myeon and Socheon-myeon in Bonghwa-gun. Residents of the village say that it is a terrible feeling to think that a large-scale Geumgang pine tree, which also survived the Japanese impoverishment, would cut off to install a transmission tower.


● Is the'landslide that swallowed the village','the helicopter that collided with the transmission line', and the possibility of disaster increasing?

There is one more concern besides the destruction of the environment. The risk of disaster can increase. First, the possibility of landslides is raised. To install the transmission tower, you have to cut down the forest. You must also create a new way for the equipment to pass to move related materials. KEPCO said it would actively use helicopters to minimize forest damage. But, at least, we cannot deny the inevitable damage to the transmission tower installation area. Professor Lim Sang-jun of the Department of Forest Science, Seoul National University, says the nature of the slope has been altered by the installation of a transmission tower. In particular, Chunyang-myeon and Socheon-myeon in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk are classified as vulnerable landslides. In 2008, there was an accident caused by heavy rains, causing four people to die.


There are also concerns about the evolution of forest fires. The transmission tower itself is unlikely to cause a fire. However, if there is a forest fire for another reason, it can be difficult to evolve. Helicopters are responsible for about 90% of wildfire evolution. However, one of the most important things to watch out for when a helicopter is extinguishing a fire is a high-voltage transmission line. This is because there is a possibility that the field will crash and fall when the field of view is not secured by wildfire smoke. In 2017, a helicopter belonging to the Korea Forest Service made an emergency landing by hitting a transmission line while extinguishing a forest fire in Samcheok-si, Gangwon. During this process, one of the mechanics on board was shut down. Eventually, helicopters must fly higher, avoiding transmission lines to avoid such accidents. The dispersion of water sprayed from the helicopter increases as well.

● Was there any procedural problem in the process of selecting a transmission tower installation site?

KEPCO replied that it had selected a location in consideration of the environmental destruction and disaster issues raised earlier. When selecting candidate sites, they said that they considered the natural environment (environment, landscape), social life environment (residential life, culture/history, production activities), and safety (military facility protection, disaster prevention). KEPCO also responded that the site selection was decided through a site selection committee consisting of 88 people including experts and villagers. The meeting has been held 23 times since 2016, and it is said that the candidate site for the eastern section (Uljin-Pyeongchang) was decided through consultation.

The problem is, you have to check whether the site selection committee was'complete'. The meeting began in 2016, and the bands in the eastern section (Uljin-Pyeongchang) were unveiled at the 10th meeting in August 2018 and faced difficulties. Fifteen representatives from Bonghwa-gun, who participated in the site selection committee, expressed their disagreement when the transit band passed three villages. However, the boycott was declared when there was no sign of the opinion of the representative of Bonghwa-gun. The meeting was held with only civil servants left behind at the Bonghwa-gun Office. In the end, the candidates for the transmission tower, which were tentatively designed to pass by Bonghwa-gun, were decided without the opinion of Bonghwa-gun.


Most of the private representatives from Bonghwa-gun who participated in the meeting consisted of village heads. Together, they claim that the site selection committee was nothing more than catering. Civilian representative Kim Dae-ho of Bonghwa-gun says that rather than discussing the selection position from the beginning, KEPCO forced the participants to unilaterally approve of the progress of the band. Of course, as the transmission line passed through 11 local governments, it would have been difficult to establish a position to satisfy everyone from the beginning. However, it is doubtful whether the position decided after the representatives of the Bonghwa-gun, which passed 20% of the transmission tower section, were omitted and received sufficient opinions. People in the villages of Chunyang-myeon, Seokpo-myeon, and Socheon-myeon in Bonghwa-gun, where the transmission tower tracks pass, still do not even know if a transmission tower is entering the area.

● What is the possibility of readjustment of the transmission tower section of “Baekdu-daegan is a region with very high ecological value”?

Some candidates for the installation of transmission towers in the eastern section (Uljin~Pyeongchang) announced by KEPCO are subject to change. This is because the candidates for the transmission tower have now been selected, but the project has not been approved. KEPCO must undergo an environmental impact assessment as soon as the selection of candidate sites in the western section (Gapyeong~Hoengseong) is finalized.

Currently, the Environmental Impact Assessment Council was formed prior to the Environmental Impact Assessment. The approval agency is the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the consultation agency is the Ministry of Environment (Daegu Regional Environmental Office, Wonju Regional Environmental Office). These institutions coordinate in advance detailed schedules of how to conduct future environmental impact assessments with experts in each field. When the Environmental Impact Assessment begins, the Ministry of Environment can raise a question about areas where environmental damage is likely. And it can require that environmental damage be eliminated or reduced. There is growing interest in the Ministry of Environment's position on the transmission tower construction project that passes through the Forest Genetic Reserve.

In September of last year, the Ministry of Environment issued an opinion of'uncertainty' through the environmental impact assessment of the Seoraksan colored cable car business, which is concerned about the destruction of the environment. The reason was that the Seoraksan colored cable car installation project had a great negative impact on Seoraksan's natural environment, ecological landscape, and biodiversity. This time, the transmission tower candidate site is also a protected area of ​​forest genetic resources and has a high ecological conservation value as much as Seoraksan.

Finally, the Forest Service issued a press release on July 31st. The title is'Increase the traditional ecological value of Baekdu-daegan! It is a wise forest restoration. This is a plan to restore the ecological axis of Baekdu-daegan, damaged by road construction, etc., by 2029. "The Baekdu-daegan is rich in biodiversity and has high traditional and ecological values, such as humanities and natural ecology," said the forest protection bureau chief Sang-taek Sim of the Sanrincheong. Of course, the Baekdu-daegan included in this transmission tower installation candidate is not an exception, is it?


●'Only without criticism without criticism?' Are there any alternatives for the transmission tower?

'Aren't you just criticizing without any alternative?' I was thinking countless times while covering the construction project of the 500KV Shingapyeong~East Coast transmission tower. If this project becomes a reality, the destruction of the environment in Baekdu-daegan is undeniable. If so, is it the best candidate to install a transmission tower? Even if you bypass the section further, you should at least avoid forest genetic reserves. Currently, there are three protected areas where candidates for transmission towers pass, but I think that if there is a plan B that can be reduced by one, it should be reconsidered. Some also raise the suspicion that KEPCO must pay for land compensation as the transmission tower passes through the private land and deliberately choose to pass the state-owned state, as expected. KEPCO says it has established an optimal position as a result of conducting a survey through a specialized company. I just hope that the optimal location is not just about'resident friction'.


● "Forcing local people to sacrifice for convenience in the metropolitan area?"

Do Ki-yeol, chief of Seokpo 4-ri, Seokpo-myeon, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, said that he disregarded'the villagers' too much. It is forcing local people to sacrifice to supply electricity to the metropolitan area. Local people are proud and say they can't afford the forest they have followed. As such, this transmission tower construction project also causes regional conflicts.

Just because you're against the power transmission tower construction project, you shouldn't say,'You don't use electricity. Someone loses a place of pride. Someone loses the village's pride, the Geumgang Pine. Someone can no longer see goats and marten in the mountains. Someone has to snooze at night in case there is a heavy rain.