By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter

Construction work started again on Thurday to build a tidal dike along the West Coast in North Cholla Province as an appeal’s court ordered the resumption of the much-disputed Saemangum land reclamation project.

Accepting an appeal filed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Seoul High Court on Thursday overruled a lower court’s ruling made in July to suspend the reclamation project, saying that the suspension order goes against the public interest.

The court said it made the decision in light of the fact that it is difficult to determine the extent of environmental damage caused by the project of reclaiming the wetlands along the West Coast and that there is also no imminent and important reason for the suspension of the project at this point.

``As the suspended sea dikes are continuing to deteriorate and are even feared to collapse, the suspension order is liable to severely damage the public interest,’’ the court added.

With the court’s decision, the ministry immediately restart the project, which was put on hold from July of last year following the suspension order issued by the Seoul Administrative Court.

Residents opposing the project and environmental activists, who filed a suit and obtained the suspension order from the Administrative Court, said that they will immediately file an appeal with the Supreme Court.

The latest ruling is expected to spark further debate on the continuation of the project, which remains unsettled due to conflicting interests between environmental groups claiming it is an ecological disaster and the government and supporters of the project saying it would contribute to the region’s economic growth.

Initiated in 1991, the project is aimed at turning 40,100 hectares of mud flats in the Saemangum region, some 250 kilometers southwest of Seoul, into 28,300 hectares of farmland and a freshwater lake. Environment groups have launched fierce protests to save the region’s mud flats and marine life which are feared to be wiped out with the building of a 33-kilometer seawall in the area.

The Administrative Court ordered a temporary suspension of the reclamation project after more than 3,500 residents and environment activists launched a court battle against the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the prime minister in 2001, demanding the government to scrap the project.

The appellate court said that it made the ruling without considering the lawsuit filed with the Administrative Court but observers viewed that the court decision will negatively affect the outcome of the verdict.

However, the project could face suspension again if the Administrative Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in its final ruling, which is due to come out within the first half of this year.

Environmental groups strongly criticized on Thurday’s ruling, claiming it failed to reflect the enormous environmental repercussions the project will bring.

``The court did not consider that if construction is resumed, the precious Saemangum wetlands will disappear and water pollution in the area will be worsened, eventually bringing harm to the people, ‘’ the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement said in a released statement.

jysoh@koreatimes.co.kr