As the June 3 presidential election approaches, the major party candidates have announced their top 10 pledges, with the contrasting environmental promises of the candidates from the two major parties drawing attention. Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized the 'restoration of the four major rivers' that was pursued during the Moon Jae-in administration, while Kim Moon-soo, the candidate from the People Power Party, presented the 'river tributary maintenance project,' known as 'post-four rivers,' as his pledge.
Both candidates agreed on the need to strengthen the role of the Ministry of Environment; however, Lee Jun-seok, the candidate from the Reform Party, proposed to actually reduce the functions of the Ministry of Environment.
◇ Lee Jae-myung pushes for the 'restoration of the four major rivers' pursued during the Moon administration
Candidate Lee Jae-myung stated he would promote the 'restoration of the four major rivers' and water quality improvement policies that were pursued during the Moon Jae-in administration. The restoration of the four major rivers involves dismantling or opening the weirs installed on the rivers to restore the natural ecosystem.
Policies related to the four major rivers have changed 180 degrees every time the regime changed. The Moon Jae-in administration reported that the 16 weirs installed on the four major rivers blocked the flow of water, leading to water quality deterioration, and decided to dismantle or permanently open the gates of five weirs on the Geumgang and Yeongsan rivers. However, following the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, this plan has essentially been halted.
During the last presidential campaign, candidate Lee Jae-myung had stated, "In order to restore the four major rivers, I will swiftly promote measures for weir management and a comprehensive plan for the restoration of natural characteristics, and will promptly proceed with improvements to intake and discharge facilities to ensure a stable supply of agricultural water in river basins." He included related content in his top 10 pledges for this election, but hardly mentioned it during the campaign.
The candidate presented relatively diverse pledges in the ecological and environmental fields. He promised to gradually expand terrestrial and marine biodiversity conservation areas and restore ecosystems in wildfire-affected regions. The bid to host the 4th United Nations Ocean Conference in 2028 was also included in his pledges. He noted he would strengthen citizen participation-type carbon reduction incentives like the 'carbon point system.' Currently, the Ministry of Environment is operating a carbon neutrality point system, but as of the end of last year, the number of subscribers was only 1.8 million.
Additionally, he stated he would pursue the establishment of a 'national roadmap to transition away from plastic' and the 'promotion of the bio-plastic industry.' However, major petrochemical corporations such as LG CHEM, LOTTE Chemical, and SK Geo Centric have been scaling back their environmentally friendly plastic businesses or slowing their expansion due to a downturn in the market, raising concerns that more feasible and specific measures are needed.
◇ Kim Moon-soo presents the 'river tributary maintenance project' as a post-four rivers initiative
Candidate Kim Moon-soo stated he would resume the 'subsidiary and tributary maintenance project,' known as a follow-up project to the four major rivers. Specifically, he proposed: ▲ establishing urban river reservoirs ▲ securing water quantity through large-scale dredging ▲ strengthening the safety of old embankments.
The subsidiary and tributary maintenance project, which was pursued by the Lee Myung-bak administration as a follow-up project after the four major rivers initiative in 2011, aimed at flood prevention and water quality improvement. At that time, plans were made to dredge riverbeds and strengthen embankments over 5,500 km of the 3,000 km of national rivers and 27,000 km of local rivers, but the project was halted after the budget was completely cut due to opposition from the Democratic Party in 2012.
Local rivers managed by local governments have been criticized for being less efficiently maintained than national rivers and thus more vulnerable to flooding. The People Power Party has claimed that "the subsidiary and tributary maintenance project for the four major rivers was canceled due to opposition from the Democratic Party and environmental organizations, which ultimately led to floods and loss of life."
Experts believe that the policies of both parties have not markedly changed from their previous positions. Choi Dong-jin, head of the National Land and Environment Research Institute, evaluated that "both the restoration of the four major rivers and the subsidiary and tributary maintenance projects are contents that both parties have claimed in the past, and this time it also appears they have chosen to maintain existing policies rather than propose new ones."
Candidate Kim Moon-soo aims to restructure the Ministry of Environment into the 'Ministry of Climate and Environment' to proactively respond to climate disasters. He also proposed that the Ministry of Climate and Environment should have integrated coordination authority over relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Furthermore, he unveiled pledges to strengthen infrastructure and urban planning policies to respond to climate change and enhance early warning systems.
◇ Lee Jun-seok, lacking environmental pledges, reduces the role of the Ministry of Environment… administrative expert calls it 'an absurd thought'
Lee Jun-seok, the candidate from the Reform Party, did not present clear environmental pledges. Notably, his proposal to effectively reduce the Ministry of Environment contrasts with Kim Moon-soo's plan to expand it into the Ministry of Climate and Environment and Lee Jae-myung's mention of establishing a Ministry of Climate and Energy.
The candidate stated, "I will reduce the current 19 ministries to 13," and added, "I will merge the maritime functions of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries into a Ministry of Construction and Transport, and combine the fisheries sector into a Department of Primary Industries." This is interpreted to mean a significant reduction in the functions of the Ministry of Environment.
However, Article 88 of the Constitution stipulates that the Cabinet must consist of the President, the Prime Minister, and 15 to 30 ministers, meaning a constitutional amendment would be necessary to reduce ministries to 13.
Professor Park Sang-in from Seoul National University criticized, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries are completely different ministries," adding, "The assertion to merge them is absurd, and pledges that disregard the constitution give an impression of a lack of policy capability."