Discussions underway on constructing multipurpose dams on Korea’s four major rivers

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Environment selected 14 candidate sites for new dam construction in the basins of Korea's four major rivers. These selected areas include four for multipurpose dams in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province in the Han River region; one in Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province in the Geum River region; six for flood control dams in Ulju County, Ulsan in the Nakdong River region; two for water supply dams in Hwasun County, South Jeolla Province in the Seomjin River region; and one for a flood control dam in Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province in the Yeongsan River region. This marks the first discussion on building a multipurpose dam in 14 years, since the construction of Bohyeonsan Dam began in 2010.

The ministry referred to these proposed dams as "dams for climate change response," emphasizing their purpose to increase water storage capacity to effectively respond to extreme floods or droughts. According to the Ministry, damage from extreme rainfall and other weather patterns over the past three years has exceeded 1.6 trillion Korean won, with 85 human casualties. In 2022, a drought lasting 227 days occurred in the southern part of the country, the longest since weather records began.

These dams can also support future water demand for the nation's strategic industries, such as semiconductors. The Ministry of Environment expects the new dams to hold between 80 and 220 millimeters of water per rainfall event for flood control and supply 250 million tons of water annually, enough for 2.2 million people. The Minister of Environment noted that, considering the current climate change risks, we cannot afford any further delays, as it takes about 10 years to build a dam even if we start now.


박성진 기자 psjin@donga.com · 김소영 기자 ksy@donga.com