Buddhist activists launch protest against river refurbishment plan

SEOUL, July 20 (Yonhap) -- Buddhist activists, including members of South Korea's
largest Buddhist order, said Monday they will begin an all-night vigil this week
to protest President Lee Myung-bak's controversial plan to refurbish basin areas
of the nation's major rivers.
Members from 10 groups, including the Korea Youth Buddhist Association and the
Buddhist Woman's Development Institute, will stage an all-night vigil every
Thursday beginning this week outside Jogye Temple in central Seoul, participating
members said in a press release Monday.
"We will hold the vigils until mid-October to fight the illogical and
environmentally destructive plan," their press release said. The first vigil this
Thursday will be attended by Vens. Boseon and Cheonghwa, senior members of Jogye,
the nation's largest Buddhist order.
After immense criticism from environmentalists and opposition politicians,
President Lee withdrew his original plan to build a network of cross-country
waterways for a "grand canal" and instead announced a 14-trillion-won (about
US$100 billion) project to refurbish the basin areas of the country's four major
rivers.
Critics charge the plan is a preparation to go ahead with Lee's canal project,
one of his main campaign pledges in the 2007 presidential election. The
3,100km-long canal would run from Seoul to the southern port city of Busan.
While President Lee and his supporters say restoring the rivers would help
prevent floods, which cost the nation an average of 2.7 trillion won per year in
damages and 4.3 trillion won in repairs, critics claim the plan is not
economically viable and would wreak havoc on the environment.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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