Daejeon City has continued with river dredging operations despite the Climate and Energy Environment Ministry's advice to the contrary, leading to an audit agency investigation and subsequent complaints by local environmental organizations.
The city of Daejeon has been caught proceeding with river dredging operations while disregarding a critical advisory from the Ministry of Climate and Energy Environment, which stated that the planned dredging should not be done without an environmental impact assessment. Local environmental groups have taken action, filing complaints against the city mayor, Lee Jang-woo, and the head of the Geumgang River Environment Agency for violating the river law and the Environmental Impact Assessment Act. This situation has arisen following an audit prompted by public requests for accountability regarding the dredging projects.
Since taking office in 2023, Mayor Lee has initiated extensive dredging works on three major rivers—Gapcheong, Yudeungcheon, and Daejeoncheon—resulting in significant public expenditure. The first and second phases of the dredging project were carried out from March to June 2024 and from December 2024 to June 2025, respectively. However, the audit agency raised concerns regarding the legality and environmental implications of these operations, noting that they exceeded the measures previously established and may pose risks to environmental integrity.
The audit findings revealed that Daejeon City had planned extensive dredging under the guise of flood prevention despite being cautioned by the ministry about the environmental impact. The audit agency reiterated that any river-related construction aimed at improving the functionality or natural preservation of water bodies must comply with a ten-year basic river plan, and significant dredging projects must undergo a thorough environmental review.
