Minister Kim Sung-hwan said on the 4th, "(The Four Major Rivers Project) is something that should not have been done, but it is already spilled water."
On the same day, Minister Kim expressed his opinions on major issues, including the re-naturalization of the Four Major Rivers, during a meeting held at the Ministry of Environment press room in the government complex in Sejong.
Minister Kim noted, "The 22 trillion won that should have been used for enhancing flood defenses should have been spent on the Four Major Rivers Project," adding, "The notion that the dam prevented flooding is the exact opposite." The Moon Jae-in administration had promised to dismantle the Sejong and Juksan dams and partially dismantle the Gongju dam. Minister Kim stated, "The problem is that this matter, which was already agreed upon, has been overturned by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."
Minister Kim continued, "How we find the optimal alternative should be ultimately decided through public discussion with experts and citizens."
Regarding the promise to open the dam to environmental groups advocating for the demolition of the Sejong dam, he stated, "As a Minister, my personal opinion is that it would be better to keep the Sejong dam open consistently." Minister Kim added, "The issue of dams in the Four Major Rivers involves various interests," and stated, "Whether to fully open or demolish it is a matter that can be decided after gathering opinions from stakeholders."
Concerning the organizational restructuring, Minister Kim stated, "I expect it will be finalized before the 15th of this month." He further noted, "I understand that the activities of the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning will be comprehensively organized roughly before August 15th," adding, "I anticipate that the government plan will be finalized and announced before that."
Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung promised to establish a climate and energy ministry to oversee climate and energy policies. The current government is considering options to merge the Energy Division of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy with the Climate and Carbon Division of the Ministry of Environment.
Minister Kim stated, "A final plan has not yet been confirmed," adding, "At the level of the Presidential Committee, we are working on our own proposal for the restructuring of the government organization over the five years of the Lee Jae-myung administration and are in consultation with the presidential office."
Regarding the establishment of the 2035 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC), Minister Kim said, "It was originally supposed to be finalized by February, but was postponed due to the political turmoil of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law and impeachment." He further explained, "What is most urgent is how we can achieve the 40% reduction target by 2030."
On the delay in the transition to electric vehicles, Minister Kim stated, "The Moon Jae-in administration started it, but it has effectively come to a standstill for the past three years," adding, "We must actively support (subsidies, etc.) until the passenger car penetration rate exceeds 30%."