Text Fwd: Troop mobilization for river project rapped 4대강 사업에 군대 동원, 비난 받음

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Korea Times
10-15-2010
Troop mobilization for river project rapped
By Jung Sung-ki

Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) criticized the Ministry of National Defense Friday for deploying troops to help a controversial state project.

In a parliamentary inspection, Rep. Park Jie-won, floor leader of the DP, said the troop mobilization for the so-called four-river restoration project is against the law.

The legislator claimed soldiers could be deployed for disaster relief or other missions to protect the people and preserve the national interest, but not for a controversial project meeting public opposition.

“The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs has said that the mobilization of the Cheonggang unit saved one billion won in cost, but one billion won is just 0.044 percent of the 22 trillion won allocated for the project. Is that savings justify the soldiers being relocated for non-essential work?
Park asked.

Park called for deactivating the involved unit, dubbed Cheonggang.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young rebutted the claim.

“Engineering troops are occasionally deployed for public works if the government makes an official request,” Kim said. “I think that (river project) is indeed similar to relief works in some sense.”

The four-river restoration project is a key policy of the Lee Myung-bak administration. Its goal is to secure water resources to mitigate water scarcity, improve water quality and encourage regional development centered on rivers.

But the plan has met strong opposition, as opposition parties claim the project could destroy the current ecosystems surrounding the four rivers.
They also said the plan was only an alternate to the Grand Canal project pursued by the President earlier.

President Lee decided not to go ahead with the project due to the public’s fierce opposition.

DP legislators also demanded that Defense Minister Kim resign to take responsibility for the sinking of the Cheonan ship. Kim responded that he thoroughly feels responsibility for the sinking of the ship and the death of 46 South Korean sailors and that he will not obsess to stay in office.

A multinational team of investigators determined that the ship was sunk by a torpedo fired from a North Korea submarine. Forty-six sailors were killed in the incident.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr