On March 18, at the Gangcheon Weir and Ipo Weir, there was Foreign Press Tour on commemoration of World Water Day (March 22). International reporters who attended this day were eleven from nine media; Reuter, CNA (Taiwan), Xinhua News Agency, Legal Daily, Shandong Press (China), Shogakukan (Japan), German ARD TV, Rossiykye Koreitsy (Russia), National Geographic Channel and so forth. They had gathered at Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club in Seoul Press Center Building to move together to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. Then they looked around PR Center of the Gangchon Weir and the Ipo Weir. After being briefed, they had Q&A session with Mr. SHIM Myung Pil, the head of National Rivers Restoration Office.
A reporter from German ARD TV, on the Q&A session after the briefing, posed a question about measures seeking a way to prevent riverside area from pollution. Mr. Shim replied that authority strives for improving water quality over criterion by rearranging riverside vinyl greenhouses, implementing farmland reallocation and dealing with non-point pollutant source. Another reporter of Legal Daily from China asked about matter of farm compensation, and got answer that government will backup provide enhanced compensation including 2-year farming guarantee program and farmland arrangement support. A REUTER reporter pointed out that the project is factitious project and asked interviewee’s stance about nature’s preservation. Mr. Shim explained in return that minimum development on nature is inevitable as the urbanized area expands with wits population. He cited several examples from developed nation like Germany and the Netherlands.
Foreign reporters checked controversial issues which have been center of the project concerning environmental problem, and some of them expressed deep interest on the ongoing progress of the project. As international attention on the project becomes higher, the Office of National River Restoration predicts more foreigners and related expert will visit.
