Dying lives at Saemangeum

Not old-adhering, a bold decision is needed
   Twenty years ago, the Saemangeum project was first designed for agricultural use in order to overcome a deficiency in the supply of rice. Now that Korea is affluent with rice, the adequacy of the project should have been boldly reconsidered. However, the new government unreasonably changed the plan to use the Saemangeum area for industrial purposes, to which many scholars have expressed negative opinions. While its industrial success is questionable, the Saemangeum project has already caused substantial environmental damage. “Sufficient consumers and laborers are needed for a city to develop. However, Saemangeum does not satisfy these conditions,” says Park Woo-suh (Prof., Dept. of Admin.). Infrastructures such as Gunsan-Janghang National Industrial Complex already exist which can handle the tasks planned for the Saemangeum. The government should consider using the best out of the existing infrastructures instead of funding another eco-destructing construction.

In desperate need of attention
   What Saemangeum needs the most is students’ attention. Having heard of the issue too much for their twenty-some lives, most university students became numb to the issue. Therefore, the communities that lived on the Saemangeum sand bar and neighboring sea are now abandoned. The communities need people’s attention to hold onto their hope. Students can make a difference by actively participating in the process of setting policies. They can try to stop the Saemangeum project or at least make the construction more eco-friendly. University students can also show their attention by helping the residents of Saemangeum raise their voice to the society. Being mostly old, the residents of Saemangeum are vulnerable to new and complicated information; therefore, it is difficult for them to oppose the government. Students can act as information deliverers who explain difficult legal terms or up-to-date environmental research to the residents of Saemangeum.

The monstrous disaster in Taean

Dodged responsibility
   The government should have predicted upcoming hazardous circumstances and taken technical measures to protect the citizens from them. However, the government has not performed its role successfully. Although visible oil on the beach has almost been cleaned, unreachable oil is still left. For instance, the second oil wave surged on to the coast once again on Jan. 25, making residents even more hopeless. The government should have provided proper research environments for the experts to predict such consequences. Additionally, since the government had not organized research, there was not any improvement in the recovery process after the Sea-prince oil spill*. If proper research had been done, the technical measures would have been taken and the second damage could have been avoided. Based on the research, the government could have informed the people what to do and what not to do. The excessive use of the oil spill dispersant by Korean Coast Guard could have been stopped if they had been informed of the harmful effects.
In need of warm hands
   University students may not have the actual power to make this disaster disappear, but their concern can quicken the recovery. KFEM is trying to conduct much research, but they are having a hard time because of the lack of manpower. Volunteering as a student researcher can be helpful for the fast recovery and prevent future oil spills. In addition, communities damaged by the oil spill need people's care. “When the oil just leaked, residents of Taean needed hands to wipe out the oil. Now, they need a remedy for their broken hearts,” says Lee Pyung-joo, the director of Seosan-Taean KFEM who is in direct contact with hurt people.

Growing China, crying West Sea

Time for action: better late than never
   Before it gets too late to clear up the polluted West Sea, the cure should be prepared right now. China is expected to achieve even greater and faster development, as it is about to hold the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. If industries of China develop much more, the country is expected to emit more polluted substances into the West Sea. This problem is a sensitive issue that can also aggravate the diplomatic relationship between Korea and China. Therefore, unilaterally requesting the Chinese government to watch out for their contamination cannot be a good solution. The Korea-China Joint Ocean Research Center has already been established, and they annually research the condition of the West Sea. However, their jobs have remained within only researching. The center should be modified into the Korea-China Joint Countermovement Research Center. They should not only research the current condition of the West Sea but actively look for ways to overcome the pollution. After reorganizing the center, the researchers of both countries will be able to conclude a detailed treaty that can restrict the amount of pollutant emission. The modified center and detailed treaty will be able to restore the current situation and prevent further pollution.

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   The three disasters appear unrelated, but they have two common factors; they are man-made, and they threaten the West Sea. What humans have done to the West Sea has reached its limit. If this eco-destructing tendency goes on, people might not be able to see any living things in the West Sea in the near future. People tend to be busy searching for scapegoats. Nevertheless, the guilt lies in all human-beings. Before blaming someone else to take all the responsibility, people should humbly accept the consequences of their faults and strive for the recovery of nature. After all, the beautiful nature is the best legacy for your descendants.

*The Sea-prince oil spill: An oil spill happened at Jeollanam-do in 1995. The marine resources have decreased since the incident, and the remnants of spilt oil were still found in 2007.