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The ministries of land, agriculture, environment and public administration announced inter-ministerial plans to refurbish the nation's four major rivers and their surrounding areas.
Briefing President Lee Myung-bak on their key policy plans for 2009 on Monday, the four ministries placed their joint focus on improving rivers nationwide as the basis for regional development. Under the river restoration plan, the land ministry would dredge river basins and reinforce embankments, spending a total of W14 trillion (US$1=W1,313) until the year 2011.
The Public Administration Ministry, meanwhile, would focus on the development agenda by attracting foreign investment to the region through tax exemptions. The Environment Ministry would launch projects to preserve the natural environment, and the Agriculture Ministry would establish farms in the riverbeds to produce animal feed.
After the briefings, Lee instructed his ministers and officials to be more ambitious in the project, saying that it should be regarded as providing a rebirth to the four major rivers. Lee said he would like to interlink his green growth initiatives with the river projects to revive the nation's natural environment, which in turn would lead to the development of green industries and technologies, as well as create jobs.
Some political analysts say linking the river projects with the green growth initiatives is a way to avoid criticism that the restoration plan is only a precursor to the president's controversial Grand Canal project. Lee announced in June that he would not pursue connecting the country's major northern and southern rivers to build the canal without the people's support. However opponents continue to cast doubt on the river projects, citing the construction ministry's report in 2006 that said more than 97 percent of the restoration had already been completed in the four rivers.
Arirang News
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