A coalition of 110 civic and religious organizations, along with progressive parties in South Korea, is protesting against the construction of a high-voltage transmission line intended to support a semiconductor industrial complex in Yongin.
On April 4, a rally was held in front of the Donghwa Duty-Free Shop in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, organized by the National Action Against the High-Voltage Transmission Line, comprising 114 civic, environmental, and religious groups from Honam, Chungcheong, and Gyonggi regions, alongside over 2,000 participants from progressive parties. They are opposing the construction of the new semiconductor industrial complex by SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics in Yongin, which includes building a high-voltage transmission line to supply over ten gigawatts of power without the consent of local communities across the country. The protestors are demanding an immediate halt to these projects and are calling for the establishment of a social dialogue to discuss viable solutions to this issue.
During the rally, critics spoke against the government's energy policies that burden local residents. Jeong Su-hee of the National Emergency Action Against New Nuclear Power Plants expressed her frustrations, stating that the serene nights in Seoul come at the cost of rural communities painfully hosting massive power sources and transmission towers. Jeong Young-i, President of the National Women Farmers' Association Federation, emphasized the widespread opposition from residents along the power line routes and asserted their commitment to fight for sustainable and just energy policies instead of those that harm rural areas.
The urgency of the matter was underscored by An Jae-hoon, Co-Executive Commissioner of the National Action, who pointed out the need to change the current policy that intensively concentrates industries in the metropolitan area while drawing resources from rural areas without limit. He warned against repeating historical mistakes like the Miryang transmission tower incident, where local residents faced violence in the name of national interests. The leaders unanimously agreed that the construction of high-voltage transmission lines must cease, as it perpetuates unfair sacrifices of rural communities to meet the demands of metropolitan areas and conglomerates.
