The government has decided to prioritize the promotion of 9 out of 14 candidate sites for climate response dams. The 5 dams with significant local opposition will proceed with follow-up procedures after further discussions and consensus are formed.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 12th that the National Water Resources Management Committee deliberated and adopted the '1st River Basin Water Resources Management Plan' at the government office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The climate response dams reflected the 9 sites where resident opinions were collected and consensus was formed with the respective basic and metropolitan municipalities from the 14 announced last July.

The 9 candidate sites are ▲ Yeoncheon Amicheon Dam ▲ Samcheok Sangicheon Dam ▲ Yecheon Yongducheon Dam ▲ Geoje Gohyeoncheon Dam ▲ Gimcheon Gamcheon Dam ▲ Uiryeong Gareyecheon Dam ▲ Ulsan Hoeya River Dam ▲ Cheongdo Unmuncheon Dam ▲ Gangjin Byeongnyeongcheon Dam.

The Ministry of Environment plans to specifically verify the necessity, location, scale, and purpose of the dams through follow-up procedures such as basic concepts, feasibility studies, and strategic environmental impact assessments.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the total project cost, including construction costs, land compensation, and resident support program expenses, is estimated to be less than 2 trillion won for the 9 confirmed candidate sites. If all 14 sites are promoted, the cost is expected to be between 4 trillion and 5 trillion won.

The Ministry of Environment announced last July the 14 candidate dams selected through research, but it is difficult to promote all of them due to strong opposition in some regions.

The Ministry of Environment has reflected the 5 sites where residents and local governments expressed opposition into the management plan for candidate sites. These include ▲ Hwasun Dongbukcheon Dam ▲ Cheongyang-Buyeo Jicheon Dam ▲ Yanggu Suipcheon Dam ▲ Danyang Danyangcheon Dam ▲ Suncheon Okcheon Dam.

For the Dongbokcheon Dam and Jicheon Dam, the Ministry of Environment plans to proceed with follow-up procedures after forming consensus through additional discussions with a consultative body. The promotion of Suipcheon Dam, Danyangcheon Dam, and Okcheon Dam will be postponed until consensus is formed.

The Ministry of Environment is in favor of promoting various alternatives to alleviate water shortages and prevent flooding, emphasizing that the climate response dams will be pursued based on regional consensus. The ministry expects a shortage of 740 million tons of water for domestic and industrial use annually.

Minister Kim Wansub noted, "In the case of climate response dams, as the dam plan is being established for the first time in 13 years, we will promote them together with the local community based on regional consensus," adding that, "We will ensure that the dam contributes not only to climate response but also to regional development."