We received sad news from South Korea this week. The Supreme Court ruled that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry may complete construction of a sea wall that will destroy the Saemangeum tidal flats – one of Korea’s most valuable wetlands and habitat for migratory birds.
For the last three years Global Response has supported the incredibly energetic and innovative Korean environmentalists who fought to save the Saemangeum tidal flats. As shown in the KFEM press release below, they will continue their efforts to minimize the destruction of the rich Saemangeum ecosystem, and we pledge our support whenever international voices are needed.
To read Paula Palmer’s article, “For Love of God and Mud,” see http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0704-05.htm
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Korean Supreme Court Allows Wasteful Saemangeum Project to Continue
Though the Korean Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Saemangeum reclamation project, we will continue working to preserve these vitally important wetlands.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the defendant, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, allowing the Saemangeum wetland reclamation project to continue. We are very sad to hear that construction of the Saemangeum seawall will continue. The Supreme Court should have reflected upon current global trends rather than support a project that was conceived for political purposes by a past dictatorship. Even though the Court ruled in a summary decision against our case to "Cancel the Saemangeum Project Permit issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry", this does not justify the Saemangeum Project itself. Rather, the Courts have acknowledged that the decision to continue or cancel the Project resides with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Roh Moo-hyun Administration.
Though the Court ruled in favor of the defendant, we want to note the minority of dissenting judges. The dissenting judges wrote that the Saemangeum Project has lost its original purpose, and that it does not have environmental or economic validity, but rather is a purely politically-motivated development project. These judges considered a lot of evidence in forming their opinion. While this is the minority view at the moment, the efforts of the dissenting judges will be remembered for being correct and just.
As the Project continues it will damage the national interest while devastating local ecosystems and communities. If the rivers and ocean are blocked then ecological disaster is inevitable. Therefore, even though the seawall is completed we will never give up the Saemangeum wetlands. Because we did not try hard enough, and thus will experience the disaster of Shihwa Lake again, we will restart the movement to preserve the Saemangeum wetlands from today. We will keep records of the creatures killed in the Saemangeum wetlands as well as monitor the worsening degradation of the water in the created lake. We will use this data to hold responsible those who have pursued their own economic and political benefit by sacrificing the environment. Eventually we will restore the lives of Saemangeum's creatures by lighting a torch of truth against those that would damage the environment, national economy, and local communities by deceiving the Korean people.
It has been a truth for a long time that the reclamation of wetlands is an outdated development practice. Though reclaiming the rivers and ocean in order to make agricultural land may be possible under this regime, we are confident that they will soon have to allow the sea water to flow and thus restore the tidal flats because of the worsening water quality. Parts of the seawall will have to be removed. Understanding the global history of reclamation, we conclude that we will eventually restore the tidal flats at Saemangeum.
Now because of the Court's decision, our society must reconsider the problem of Saemangeum. KFEM will continue to work for the lives of Saemangeum and to work for the truly sustainable development of the local area. In addition, we would like to thank the Korean people as well as international environmental organizations and individuals who have supported the movement and case to preserve Saemangeum. We want to express our commitment to continue the campaign to save the lives of Saemangeum by saying that today is not the end but rather is a new beginning. Though there was a ruling today, the rivers still flow and the waves still come in. The river and sea must meet each other and the Saemangeum wetland must live!
March 16, 2006
KFEM-FoE Korea
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