Clashes mar re-start of KEPCO transmission line project

Residents of Miryang protest construction of power towers.

Construction workers from state-run Korea Electric Power Corporation and riot police yesterday morning clashed with residents of Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province protesting the construction of 52 towers for a high-voltage transmission line.

The project has been stalled since August 2008 due to persistent protests against the project by Miryang residents. This is the first time the shelters of residents protesting the project were destroyed since protests began in 2008.

KEPCO-hired workers tore down shelters that residents, mostly in their 70s and 80s, have been manning for the past few years. Opponents denounced authorities’ forced construction and demanded the government and KEPCO revoke the plan.

Miryang City council member Moon Jung-sun of the opposition Democratic Party was stopped from committing suicide in protest.

Residents have demanded alternative measures such as laying an underground power line instead of building the electric towers, claiming health and environmental issues.

Their suggestions, however, were rejected by KEPCO officials as being too expensive and impractical.