The water management fund project, which invests over 1 trillion won for the purpose of managing water quality in the Four Major Rivers, has shown signs of poor operation.
The project to create an ecological belt by the water was pushed forward without going through the agricultural land conversion process, and it has been confirmed that about 900 billion won in agricultural preservation charges, which should have been paid, were not paid. Despite acquiring hotels and land by the water at high prices, there were also criticisms that there was no improvement in water quality.
The Government Coordination Office's Anti-Corruption Task Force announced the results of a joint inspection with the Ministry of Environment on the 'actual status of the water management fund project' on the 17th.
The water management fund project refers to initiatives that manage the water quality of the Han River, Nakdong River, Geum River, Yeongsan River, and Seomjin River using the water usage charge (170 won per ton) and provide support to residents. Each year, approximately 12.5 trillion won is executed from the fund, but it has faced criticism for being poorly operated as it has not undergone overall inspections or audits.
As a result of the inspection conducted by the Anti-Corruption Task Force and the Ministry of Environment on the water management fund project carried out from 2021 to 2024, illegal and inappropriate issues such as violations of the Agricultural Land Act and abnormal operation of buffer detention facilities were detected. The number of detailed projects where problems were identified reached as many as 1,000 cases, meaning there was at least one violation of law or regulation for every day over four years, based on 250 weekdays.
The most frequently noted issue was a violation of the 'Agricultural Land Act.' The Ministry of Environment has spent over the past 20 years purchasing agricultural land (33 million square meters), which is equivalent to 12 times the area of Yeouido, to promote the ecological belt project by the water, but it appears that they did not obtain a separate agricultural land conversion permit. They also did not pay the agricultural preservation charge of 92.2 billion won which is imposed when obtaining an agricultural land conversion permit.
The task force ordered the Ministry of Environment to obtain the agricultural land conversion permit and to pay the overdue agricultural preservation charge of 92.2 billion won. They also improved procedures to ensure that the 'agricultural land conversion permit' process and consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are mandatory when establishing the implementation plan for the ecological belt by the water.
Instances of acquiring numerous lands and buildings with minimal effects on water quality were also identified. The Ministry of Environment has purchased 24 buildings (52.9 billion won) and 117 parcels of land (28.1 billion won) for the purpose of removing sources of pollution and reducing inflow of pollutants in the upper reaches of water sources. The problem is that the purchase of these buildings and land is not directly linked to improvements in water quality.
The Anti-Corruption Task Force noted, "The land acquisition project for water quality preservation can be misused as a means for closing down poorly operating businesses" and pointed out that "there is also concern that it could reduce real estate development risks, encourage indiscriminate development activities, and be misused as a means of speculation."
Management has been poor, such as leaving buffer detention facilities that can retain pollutants that may be discharged from industrial complexes unattended, and it has also been confirmed that there were cases of excessive payment of subsidies for municipal sewage projects.
Kim Jong-mun, the first vice minister who heads the Anti-Corruption Task Force, said, "We will manage the water management fund project more transparently and strictly to ensure that the water quality improvement and resident support project in the upper reaches of water sources are promoted more efficiently."