Residents oppose the construction of high voltage towers

The Korea Electric Power Corporation dispatched its staff to resume the construction of high-voltage transmission towers Monday but due to strong opposition from the residents, the construction work was stopped again. As the standoff continues, concerns over physical conflicts are growing.

In eight months since the suspension due to the breakdown in negotiations in September last year, KEPCO sent its staff to six construction sites at 6 a.m. Monday to build a total of 52 transmission towers in four townships of Bubuk, Danjang, Sangdong and Sanoe in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. Police dispatched about 500 policemen from seven companies near the construction sites in preparation for possible conflict between the power company and the residents.

About 60 villagers blocked the road in front of the Bubuk village by tying a rope on the trees at both sides of the road. Other residents set up barricades using cultivators and tractors on the mountain roads that lead to the construction site. Certain villagers threatened they would hang themselves if KEPCO forces to construct the transmission towers as they even installed the ropes to hang themselves on four trees.

As a result, the power company stopped construction once again in three work sites and managed logging and land survey in the other three sites. A source from KEPCO said, “We expected that there might be opposition from the residents on the first day of the work. As we continue the construction, we’ll put first the safety of the people by placing 195 KEPCO staff to maintain order around the construction sites.”