By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday the government's four-river refurbishment project will be backed by all people sometime in the future even though some currently dispute its economic and environmental effects.
The project is the centerpiece of the government's efforts to create new growth engines amid the global crisis and revitalize the sluggish job market, he noted.
Lee made the remarks during a visit to the government panel overseeing the $19 billion scheme, which started in early November despite concerns about possible environmental damage.
``You should work with a sense of historical responsibility,'' Lee said. ``I'm confident that those who oppose the project now will change when it is proven that it affects the ecosystem surrounding the rivers positively in the long term.''
Lee said firms have created some 3,000 jobs through the project.
It will have a positive ripple effect on regional economies as local residents and builders will participate in the project, Lee added.
As part of the Green New Deal programs, the government will dredge and refurbish Korea's four main rivers ― the Han, Nakdong, Geum, and Yeongsan ― in a bid to prevent drought and floods as well as attract tourists.
Lee, formerly a construction firm CEO, says the three-year development project is crucial for economic growth, but critics call it a cover for his unpopular plan to build a cross-country canal. President Lee has repeatedly said he scrapped the canal project, and that it is not related to the river refurbishment project.
jj@koreatimes.co.kr
