Minister Kim Sung-hwan of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said on the 2nd that there is no plan for a reconsideration regarding the controversy over expanding the Dongseoul substation.
At a press briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong that day, the Minister said the expansion of the Dongseoul substation will proceed as scheduled under the Special Act on Power Transmission Networks.
The Dongseoul substation is the terminus of the second phase of the East Coast–Seoul metropolitan area high-voltage direct current (HVDC) project being pursued by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). However, residents of Hanam city have opposed it, saying it is close to a densely populated residential area and poses significant risks, and that there were problems in KEPCO's decision-making process.
On the 22nd of last month, the Minister visited Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and held a closed-door meeting of about two hours with the "five-party council against the expansion of the Dongseoul substation." This prompted views that the climate ministry might be reconsidering the expansion plan for the Dongseoul substation.
Regarding this, the Minister explained, "The visit to Hanam was to directly verify the issues raised by residents," and added, "There were three allegations raised: that the decision was made without residents' knowledge, that KEPCO presented only a 'rosy future,' and that there was an attempt to buy off residents with money."
The Minister said, "As a result of checking the three matters, there was no illegality by KEPCO," and added, "We plan to relay again what we confirmed in meetings with residents, and future procedures also appear likely to proceed according to the Special Act on Power Transmission Networks."
The Minister added, "As minimizing conflict is the role of the climate ministry, we will communicate fully with residents and work to resolve the issues."