Translation result
Local conflict over the Saemangeum RE100 national industrial park site has expanded into an organized off-site protest campaign. As Buan civic groups and residents set up tents in front of the Saemangeum Development Agency, the dispute has shifted from a simple bid to host the park to a public battle over how development benefits will be distributed.
The Saemangeum RE100 National Industrial Park Buan Attraction Committee said it began a tent sit-in in front of the Saemangeum Development Agency in Gunsan on the 6th and has launched a monthlong period of intensified action.
About 100 committee members and residents attended the send-off rally, urging that the RE100 national industrial park be sited in Buan and signaling their readiness to take collective action.
Kim Jong-dae, chair of the Saemangeum Support Council, presided over the rally. In a representative remark, Kwon Myung-sik, head of the Buan chapter of the Saemaeul Movement, said Buan residents have repeatedly borne sacrifices and burdens throughout the Saemangeum development process and warned that the RE100 national industrial park is not merely an industrial complex but is directly tied to Buan’s future viability.
Jang Yong-seok, head of the Patriotism Movement Headquarters, added that although Buan was one of the project’s starting points, the community feels it has been left behind in efforts to expand industry, jobs, and housing. He described the sit-in as a citizens’ action demanding regional balance and a readjustment of the development framework.
The co-chairs issued a resolution calling for the RE100 national industrial park to be located in Buan, for a transparent site-selection process, opposing Buan’s exclusion, and urging active political engagement.
In the resolution, the committee said, \”We can no longer accept a structure in which Buan bears the sacrifices while development gains flow to other regions,\” and vowed, \”We will take a hard line against any decision that pushes Buan to the margins.\”
They also signaled that they may escalate protests, saying, \”If necessary, we’ll take demonstrations to the National Assembly, government ministries, and even the Presidential Office.\”
Participants held signs reading \”Saemangeum RE100 industrial park belongs to Buan,\” \”Excluding Buan is regional discrimination,\” and \”Protect Buan’s future,\” and staged performances to reinforce their unity.
The committee said it will hold daily picket protests in front of the Saemangeum Development Agency at 8 a.m. for the next month and will run loudspeaker campaigns and other outreach in the afternoons to keep Buan’s position visible.
Observers inside and outside the region say the dispute goes beyond a contest to host an industrial park and has revived debate over long-standing perceptions of unequal distribution of Saemangeum’s development benefits. Because the RE100 industrial park could reshape the industrial geography and corporate recruitment strategy along North Jeolla’s west coast, the site-selection process itself has become a central political factor for local leaders and public opinion.
An official from the committee said, \”A consensus is spreading across the community that we can no longer ignore Buan’s repeated marginalization during the Saemangeum development process. We will continue acting with residents until the RE100 national industrial park is secured for Buan.\”
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