Governor Lee Jae-myung Pledges "Full Support for Clean Valley Restoration to Become High-Quality Destination"
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] At the "Final Inspection of Clean Valley and Residents' Meeting" held in Yongchu Valley, Yeoninsan Provincial Park in Gapyeong on the 25th, Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province said, "I am grateful for the active cooperation of local residents and municipalities in the clean valley restoration project," and expressed his intention: "I will provide full support so that the cleansed valley can become a high-quality destination."
Governor Lee said on this day, "This is work that was thought to be impossible at first, but when we actually did it, many residents reportedly think it's actually refreshing. Starting from this summer, changes will be made so that people can maintain a high-quality lifestyle in a legal and clean environment tailored to modern tourism trends."
He continued, "Going forward, Gyeonggi Province will provide maximum support for living convenience facilities and eco-friendly facilities so that you will feel 'we did the right thing,' so that more tourists visit and residents' lives improve. However, if anyone refuses to cooperate and resists, we will take strict measures including forced demolition," he emphasized.
This meeting was held to conduct a final inspection of the clean valley and river restoration projects, which are now in their final stages, marking one year since Governor Lee pledged last June that "I will return clean rivers and valleys to the citizens of Gyeonggi Province."
The governor inspected the Yongchu Valley maintenance site with Noh Jung-ryeol, a public ambassador for the province, and exchanged opinions on the development direction after the restoration project with Gapyeong County Mayor Kim Seong-ki, Vice Administrator Lee Yong-cheol, Gapyeong County Council Chairman Song Ki-wook, Provincial Councilor Kim Gyeong-ho, Village Chief Lee Moon-seop of Seungan 2-ri, and local residents.
On this day, residents expressed welcome and expectations for the cleansed valley and made suggestions regarding measures to prevent illegal dumping, sustainable environmental restoration, smooth implementation of relocation plans, road condition improvements, and expansion of tourism infrastructure.
The province has so far identified 1,482 illegal facilities in 190 valleys and rivers across 25 cities and counties, demolishing approximately 94%, excluding 50 residential facilities, 3 cases with suspension of execution orders, and 38 newly identified cases. Gapyeong, which the governor visited, identified 920 cases and demolished 898 of them, excluding 20 residential facilities and 2 suspension cases, showing a high recovery rate of 97.6%.
By July, the province plans to complete relocation and facility maintenance work based on each municipality's relocation plan, and will focus on post-management activities such as garbage disposal and monitoring to prevent recurrence of illegal facilities, utilizing river observers and valley watchers.
In particular, actively gathering residents' opinions and going beyond the level of simply demolishing illegal facilities, the province is promoting the "Essential Convenience Facilities for Clean Valley Restoration Areas and Living SOC Project" to provide practical help for regional economy and tourism revitalization.
As part of this, a total of 62 billion won, including 25.4 billion won in special adjustment grants, will be invested in 13 valleys and rivers across 11 cities and counties including Gapyeong, Pocheon, and Yongin, which were selected as support targets this year, to construct eco-friendly walking paths, waterside decks, rest areas, restrooms, and parking lots.
For 12 locations including Eobi Valley, Baekun Valley, and Janghheung Valley, convenience facilities such as restrooms, parking lots, and entrance stairs are scheduled to be installed before the vacation season begins. In addition, dedicated civil servants will be assigned to each valley to continuously check the maintenance and convenience facility installation status and encourage swift project implementation. Furthermore, to revitalize the local economy, the province will conduct management education and on-site training for small business owners and promote specialized projects, and will also support community activities of resident autonomous organizations.
The changed appearance of rivers and valleys and the progress made so far can be confirmed through photos and information graphics on the "Gyeonggi Province Clean Valley Homepage (www.gg.go.kr/cleanvalley)"