Resumption of Saemangum reclamation project premature: advisory panel reports

The announcement of the government`s final decision on whether to resume the Saemangum reclamation project, which was originally set for the end of this month, is likely to be delayed after a presidential advisory panel said it was too early to make a decision on the matter. The Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development held a news conference at Seoul`s Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and said, ``In order to resolve conflicting demands like the need to secure farmland, preserve tidal flats and develop the local economy, the policy direction will have to be a balanced one. So we reached a conclusion that for the moment it is impossible to make a final decision on whether or not to resume the reclamation project.``

The commission delivered its official position on the matter to President Kim Dae-Jung at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Analysts said the joint government-private sector inquiry into the project lacked objectivity and produced data that could not be used to decide whether to resume the project. If the request for a delay is accepted, chances are high that the Saemangum project would remain pending for a long time, they said.

[Yonhap]