ANSEONG — The city of Anseong has stepped up efforts to limit harm to residents from the construction of a semiconductor industrial complex in neighboring Yongin.
Mayor Kim Bo-ra outlined the city's response so far and its negotiating plans at a press conference held at city hall on the morning of the 23rd.
The city said it agrees that the semiconductor industry is a national strategic sector. It warned, however, that while the benefits of the complex will be concentrated in Yongin, the environmental burden and damage to farming could spill over into Anseong.
The main points of contention are the inflow of discharge water, the construction of transmission lines and the building of a liquefied natural gas power plant. The city said these issues could directly affect residents' health, property rights and the farming environment.
Anseong also pointed to the limits of a cooperation agreement signed with SK in 2021. That agreement covered 15 items, including improvements to the quality and temperature of discharge water, regional cooperation projects, river maintenance and road network expansion.
But the city judges that the agreement lacks provisions to enforce compliance and that some of its terms are not specific enough. It added that business conditions have changed since the agreement was signed, so the existing pact alone is not sufficient.
On power facilities, the city has been pushing to reroute the buried natural gas pipeline for the LNG power plant at the SK general industrial complex in Yongin.
Anseong has raised concerns about traffic congestion, road subsidence and the risk of gas accidents along the route passing through the city. In February last year, it rejected an application for a road management review.
For the LNG power plant at the Yongin semiconductor cluster general industrial complex, the city has called for a review of the site, an environmental impact analysis, measures to reduce damage and support for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
On transmission lines, the city's position is that alternatives taking residents' living conditions into account, such as burying the lines underground, must be prepared.
On discharge water, securing the safety of the water system is a precondition. The city has so far blocked trial discharges and is calling on relevant agencies to expand water quality testing items and to set operating standards for a joint inspection committee.
It also stressed that advance surveys of the farming environment and compensation plans for damage must be made concrete.
The city additionally proposed a further disaster impact assessment for the Hancheon stream, the installation of disaster prevention facilities upstream of the Gosam Reservoir, measures to improve air quality, and the allocation of contracted farm produce volumes and purchases at fair prices.
Anseong plans to enter further negotiations centered on a cooperation council. The idea is to bring together the central government, local governments, public agencies, industry and residents to find practical solutions.
To that end, the city has proposed the formation of the council and its agenda to the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy. It has also assigned four dedicated staff to a task force handling the Yongin semiconductor complex.
The council is expected to discuss a bypass plan for discharge water, water and air quality monitoring, compensation for damage, surveys of the farming environment, compensation related to the transmission lines and the LNG plant, and institutional improvements.
The city does not see the matter as a local issue limited to Anseong. It argues that national standards are needed for managing discharge water from semiconductor complexes and for agricultural water.
"Local residents should not be left to bear environmental and safety problems alone in the course of growing a national strategic industry," Mayor Kim said.
"We will move quickly to consult with the relevant agencies, putting the safety and interests of our citizens first," she said. "We will actively pursue whatever response is needed so that Anseong residents do not suffer unfair harm."