Rep. Lee Dal-gon, a lawmaker hailing from Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, spearheaded a proposal to enact the special measure on the mutual development of ports and surrounding impact areas, he said on Oct. 6.
The economic benefits from the construction of ports for national needs are spread across the nation, whereas residents in ports’ surrounding impact areas have to endure direct and indirect damage, such as restricted urban functions and acceptance of overloaded development, loss of living foundation, caused by shrinking fishing areas.
They also have to deal with environmental pollution and worsening health, such as noise and air pollutants.
Areas surrounding ports and neighborhood residents badly need the sharing of economic benefits, coupled with the development and operation of ports and improving life conditions, as well as compensation and support.
The rational for enacting the special act is that it would cover participation in all processes, ranging from the establishment of projects to implementation to improving living conditions of residents in port impact areas and neighborhood districts.
They also want to balance the sharing of added values, coupled with the construction of ports.
The proposed legislation consists of five chapters and 24 articles. Forty-two lawmakers participated in a proposal to enact the special act.
The act would stipulate support necessary for areas surrounding ports and neighborhood residents to promote shared growth between ports and their impact districts, thus promoting smooth operation of parts and contributing to their regional development.
As for support for areas surrounding ports, the special act would be first applied.
An artist conception on Jinhae’s New Port. (Photo: MOF)
Specifically, the minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) would be required to designate and notify areas surrounding ports that would be influenced socially, economically and environmentally by the developing and managing of ports.
The MOF minister would be also required to establish a master plan on projects to support the impact areas surrounding ports every 10 years, in accordance with the special act and a plan to implement projects to support the impact areas surrounding each port every year.
The special act stipulates the expansion of residents’ participation and the establishment of a support consultative body for the purpose of developing and managing ports and implementing support projects of the areas surrounding ports in a smooth fashion.
Local governments which have jurisdiction over port impact areas would be required to create a fund to secure financial resources for the implementation of support projects.
Governors, city mayors, country mayors and ward mayors with jurisdiction over the port impact areas would be required to establish and implement steps to raise related residents’ income.
Related organizations would be required to give preferential hiring of neighborhood residents and preferential treatment to regional companies.
Rep. Lee said, “Currently, dams, power plants, radwaste centers, military airports and new airports have special actions in place.”
“Jinhae’s new port project, costing 13 trillion won, will be the biggest-ever one, but there is no special act on it, so I will do my utmost to enact a special act under which the port, residents and city could promote shared growth.”
Rep. Lee is a senior member of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) with the National Assembly Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee.
He is a reelected lawmaker who has held positions, such as former minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, ex-presidential senior secretary in charge of political affairs and vice chairman of PPP’s Policy Committee.
_%EC%A7%84%ED%95%B4%EC%8B%A0%ED%95%AD%20%EC%A1%B0%EA%B0%90%EB%8F%84.jpg)
