Minister Kim Sunghwan of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment on the 11th drew a line under residents' demands for compensation over the planned expansion of Dongbok Dam—which would flood villages to supply water to the Honam semiconductor cluster—saying that "direct pension support is difficult." Instead, he proposed a "sunlight pension" model through a solar power cooperative that about 500 residents
slated to relocate would join.
The Minister stated accordingly at a meeting with residents set to relocate, held that day at the Eoulrim Center in Hwasun-gun, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province. The Honam semiconductor industrial complex will need 650,000 tons of water a day, requiring the existing Dongbok Dam to be expanded. As a result, about 280 households in nearby villages will be submerged and must move.
A joint countermeasures committee formed by resident representatives called for establishing a statutory body, a preliminary review council. They said it should go beyond simply hearing opinions and become a body that substantively debates the project's necessity and compensation plans and reflects them in decision-making.
They also demanded six compensation measures: a coexistence pension of 1.5 million to 2 million won per month per household member; lifting the designation of the water source protection zone around Manghyang Hill near Hwasun Jeokbyeok; expanding funding for support projects in areas around the dam; and relocation districts and free rental housing for low-income residents.
The Minister said a preliminary review council would not be much different from the coexistence consultative body already operating, adding, "It doesn't seem impossible." By contrast, he said pensions would be "difficult to support directly because there could be similar cases nationwide." He added, "I read the intent as telling the government to find various ways for residents to receive a pension," and said, "A
'sunlight pension' centered on a solar cooperative and sharing profits from a large-scale solar complex is something we could design."
He effectively rejected calls to raise the unit price of water, saying it could lead to higher water rates nationwide. He called attracting semiconductor materials, components, and equipment companies to Hwasun "a hoped-for item," and said lifting the protection zone around Mangyang Hill "is hard to guarantee. We will work to reflect residents' demands as much as possible."
Korea Water Resources Corporation officials at the meeting said plans for relocation districts and medical and rental housing have taken shape using redevelopment funds, and that they are discussing resetting the water source protection zone with Gwangju City.
Citing recent remarks by President Lee Jae-myung, the Minister also mentioned "evasion-type relocation." "I've heard of people who didn't actually live there suddenly moving in, or planting apple trees they hadn't planted before," he said. "We can't pay (sunlight) pensions to those people."
Meeting reporters that day at the site of the Gwangju military airport, where the Honam semiconductor cluster will be built, the Minister said, "There should be no setbacks to starting construction of the substation next year, and since it takes two years after groundbreaking, the substation will be built by late 2028," adding, "We will proceed with the first-phase supply of 3 gigawatts (GW) as planned." Power demand
for operating four fabs (factories) in the Honam…
