Four Major Rivers Project is Four Major Rivers Destruction

The Democratic Party reiterated its opposition to the government's Four Major Rivers project civil engineering work, stating that it is an unconstitutional act that did not receive budget review from the National Assembly and will result in fiscal collapse and environmental catastrophe.

Kim Jin-pyo, Democratic Party Supreme Council Member (Suwon Young-tong), said on the 23rd, "The Four Major Rivers project is a 'declaration of despair to kill the Four Major Rivers,'" and criticized strongly, "This is equivalent to selling fake 'saeu-jeot' (shrimp roe) by claiming that catfish intestines are pollock intestines."

Council Member Kim emphasized, "The party's reason for opposing Four Major Rivers civil engineering is not 'political logic,' but rather the rationale to save national finances, the environment, and people's livelihoods by cutting budgets exceeding 30 trillion won."

Council Member Kim argued that the so-called "tax cuts for the wealthy" of 90 trillion won and the Four Major Rivers project will result in a minimum of 200 trillion won in fiscal deficits during the current administration's term alone, making achieving fiscal balance by 2013 merely a slogan.

Furthermore, according to data from the National Emergency Management Agency, areas hit by concentrated rainfall over the past 10 years have been cities and counties in Gangwon Province unrelated to the Four Major Rivers, and that the government's stated justifications of preventing water pollution and preventing flood damage can be sufficiently addressed through the "National River Maintenance Project" pursued over the past 20 years and the "Metropolitan Water Supply System Adjustment Project" for water shortage issues.

Additionally, he urged increasing education-related budgets and welfare budgets with Four Major Rivers funds while reviving the completely eliminated support for underfed children's meals (43.2 billion won) and energy subsidies for low-income households (90.3 billion won).

Council Member Kim stated, "The Democratic Party will make an all-out effort to reduce the Four Major Rivers budget that will cause fiscal collapse and environmental catastrophe," and emphasized, "We will engage in strong struggle with the people both inside and outside the National Assembly to redirect the over 30 trillion won Four Major Rivers budget to livelihood spending."