Local governments across the country have resumed crackdowns on illegal structures in rivers and valleys starting early this month. After a nationwide fact-finding survey by the government found only 835 illegal occupancy cases, President Lee Jae-myung ordered a reinvestigation, saying "this figure is hard to believe." Lee is said to have directed authorities to conduct nationwide inspections after the additional survey and to strictly discipline the officials and local governments involved if omissions are found.
According to the government and others on the 19th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to reexamine the status of illegal structures in rivers and valleys through the 31st of this month. A follow-up fact-finding survey is typically conducted when previous results are deemed insufficient. In effect, local governments failed to carry out proper crackdowns and are being sent back for checks.
The government began clearing illegally installed structures in rivers and valleys last year. In July last year, it formed the "Task force for measures on illegal occupancy facilities within river zones (TF)," led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) Director General for Natural Disaster Affairs, and conducted a nationwide fact-finding survey. The TF included the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Korea Forest Service, and local governments.
The survey found 835 illegal occupancy cases nationwide. Yoon Ho-jung, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), reported these findings to Lee on the 24th of last month. In response, Lee said, "It is hard to believe there are 835 cases nationwide," adding, "I recall there were far more when Gyeonggi Province conducted its survey. There will be more."
Given Lee's experience pushing a sweeping valley cleanup as Gyeonggi governor, some say the figure likely felt low. In fact, in 2019, when Lee was Gyeonggi governor, the province uncovered 11,151 illegal occupancy cases in rivers and valleys.
At the time, after taking office as the elected 7th-term Gyeonggi governor in 2018, Lee ran on the pledge of "returning clean valleys to residents" and launched a project in June 2019 to clear illegal structures from valleys and rivers. With more than 10,000 illegal occupancy cases uncovered in about six months, the policy is regarded as one of Lee's signature administrative achievements.
However, illegal occupancy did not disappear completely even after the large-scale crackdown. According to Gyeonggi Province, the number of cases fell from 11,151 in 2019 to 576 in 2020, 345 in 2021, and 118 in 2022. But it rose again to 172 in 2023, with 122 cases in 2024 and 133 cases uncovered last year.
In the reinvestigation, the government plans to further tighten enforcement methods. It will use aerial, satellite, and drone imagery to identify illegal structures in rivers and valleys and verify new installations by comparing them with winter-season aerial photos. It is also pursuing measures to impose a penalty surcharge on repeat illegal occupiers at levels exceeding their operating profits.
If it is confirmed during the investigation that local officials intentionally omitted illegal structures, the government plans to hold those officials accountable and request a criminal investigation.
An official at a local government said, "Because the president is personally interested in this matter, regions with many rivers and valleys inevitably feel pressure," adding, "If the number of uncovered cases is low, we could be criticized for not doing our jobs properly, and if it is high, we could be faulted for past surveys being lax, so there is considerable concern."