what you can do to save rivers in crisis

What we can do to save rivers in crisis?

Let them flow as they are. To restore its vitality as ever.

Then we humans do make ourselves be accustomed to the cycle of lives,we should not shut it down.

(photo. Dong-river, once threatened by dam construction. A symbol of successful River Conservation Campaign in S. Korea)

South Korean Rivers make affluent wetlands with diverse lives for humans as well as for nature itself.

Probably the same as yours.

Rivers curve along mountains and carry spectacles of lives to downstream.

They slow down the upstream when rainy season as they go downstream. And store rain along riverbasin in forms of marsh, pond, small streams and underground water. Upstream and downstream connect us all.

We could say rivers flow with mountains and mingle with the sea.

(photo. Nakdong-river estuary, under the threat of mega-construction projects, such as "Korea Grand Canal" and "4 River Management".)


Now... What we can do together to save rivers in crisis? Should they lose all vitality and lives in them? We can make them flow as they used do. Please follow one of our campaigns to SAVE RIVERS.

• Read real stories of S. Korea's RIVERS; Han-river, Geum-river, Yeongsan-river, and Nakdong-river.
• Be aware of S. Korean government's green-disguise; Lee administration favors bulldozer-conglomerates but pretends to appear greener as in the article "Das grüne Herz von Seoul" in die tageszeitung. Let us know ASAP what it says in your mass media.
  
• Send us PETITION letter of support that we can deliver to the President's office. Or you may send e-mails of your voice. (President's office: foreign@president.go.kr)
  
• Send us Videoclips of support that we can edit and upload for S. Korean media. Or upload it directly on the Youtube and link it at this blog so that I can identify.
• If you need real and objective information of S. Korean rivers, just send me e-mail.
• If you have a blog, please follow this campaign so that your countries should not immitate green-disguised economic package (or Green New Deal) of S. Korea.
  

Life eats savings! It worsens when jobs unstable...

As we hear obscure news from overseas, especially from USA, we can't help losing trust of our governments' hopeful promise and policy change. Because our life eats savings owing to rising expenses. Regarding Koreans' middle class lifestyle, I could say that lots of people spend most on hosing, education, driving and insurance. As for housing, they should pay for housing loans for the entire of their lives to sustain this lifestyle. If they want to inherit to the children, more and more money goes into private education sect.

To maintain middle class lifestyle, we might lose unnecessary time and resources on bubble-following lifestyle shown around us. Some say that Lee Myong Bak administration makes current economic crisis worse with bad policy. Spend, spend, spend more budget on construction and development notwithstanding its unbeneficially low B/C expectations.

Gyeongin Canal has shown the typical business style of Lee administration. It has begun excavation though the B/C result is below 1. This B/C ratio figure has changed according to the institutes and time: firstly, 0.92∼1.28(2003, KDI), then 1.76(2006, DHV), and 1.065(2008, KDI). Recently Ministry of Strategy and Finance(MOSF) analysed that Gyeongin Canal will need 30% budget increase when considered cost of living increase(Hangyoreh). In fact, Korean government has always changed words, words, words.

Another true factsheet has been reported by Bank of Korea: construction industry creates less jobs than service industry. But Lee and his colleagues insist construction should effect more jobs for Koreans.

That's why we don't need anymore unbeneficial land development through reclamation, excavation, and construction works.


As NPR reports show that Americans have also continued spending more and more untile very recently. But it seems that they don't really want to reduce the cost of living demanding "middle class lifestyle" It meant that more commercials send signals on the screen, more people are going to feel destined to get a brand new style. Does this mean updated cable TV, cell phones, driving, eating out, housing, shopping, membership... ?
(graph by Alan Cordova/NPR and story by Laura Conaway)

Now we definitely need the ROAD NOT TAKEN to evade this gloomy future again.

More GREEN CHOICE will be the one!

Nothing natural on MBnomics!

The president of S.Korea has announced during his election campaign that the economy would flourish if the Korea Grand Canal project launched. To make this idea popular among Koreans, his campaign used "MBnomics"* as one of his slogans.
And finally, the construction of Gyeongin Canal** has started in succession of its waterway excavation. It will be twice wider and deeper when finished.

Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA)?

Who cares?

It would be disasters for the ecosystem and wildlife, communities, as well as the economy itself. At best, it could only contribute to the construction and estate partners. But current economic crisis has come out of estate bubbles all around us, and it won't be disappear without pertinent treatment to restore its stability.

Nothing natural can be seen on MBnomics, even on the web!

If you visit the website of Korean President, you can easily see how Lee M.B. administration and his ruling party, Grand National Party, are obsessed by constructions and corporates[Jaebeul]. All BLOGs of the Office of the President have no contents from "ecosystem based ideas", "conservation of wetlands & the other natural resources", "environment for humans and the wildlife".

To see presidential blogs in Korean, click one of these: naver blog, daum blog and yahoo blog.
See more news related to CANAL stories in English on the media, click here.
If you are interested in Natural Aspects of Han River Estuary, visit here for downloadable report on Han River Estuary.
You could identify more wetlands of international importance in S.Korea, too.


MBnomics*: made from "MB(Lee Myong Bak)" and "economics" to emphasize Lee's economic career from construction CEO.
Gyeongin Canal**: sometimes called as "Kyeongin Canal", "Seoul-Incheon Canal", or "Han River Canal"

Link for Nature & powerful Social Network

Recently I am trying to distribute "SAVE RIVERS of South Korea" among friends new & old.

Nature Blog Network (NBN) is the one! They run a powerful network using photos to save nature in the worldwide. In many cases, you know, we humans are fascinated by simply overwhelming pictures and/or images. You won't be disappointed. Feel free to enjoy and see SAVE RIVERS in it, too.

simplezi

from Seoul and

Korean citizens vs. Lee M.B. government

How do you think about Lee M.B., the president of S.Korea? Is he still a "Saving Seoul" hero, who redesigned Cheonggyecheon stream*?

NO MORE!

Lee has finally decided to construct a Gyeongin Canal, connecting the Yellow Sea and the Han River. Environmental impact assessement was finished less than 2 months over 18 kilometers long.

In the past, lots of Koreans find this newborn Cheonggyechoen stream very attractive in a mega city notwithstading its half success. After redesign lots of other streams and small rivers have suffered a surgery, got rid of original flora and fauna from the stream, and paved with banks and roads for leisure. We could say that Lee's Saving Seoul program turned out a disaster and/or a BAD environmentalism in the end.

Bad environmentalism of Lee M.B government has been criticized since its inauguration. Because he hasn't forgiven Korea Grand Canal, though he promised not to propel it against the will of people. Until now the majority of Koreans do not want canals. See the image(by Choi, Ho Cheol) on the below how people demonstrated their will against Lee's BAD POLICY and sheer DEVELOPMENTALISM.

All he promised to Koreans turned out a lie!
He just pretended to become a president of S.Korea.

With betrayed mind, people gathered together at Cheonggycheon and in front of Gyeongbok Palace** with candles of hope. Recently journalists are being investigated by prosecutors because they broadcasted candle light demonstration and mad cow disease. And one of them are arrested because of it. People concern that democracy should retreat to the status of military government 20 years ago.


*Cheonggyecheon stream was once a urban stream near Gyeongbok Palace. And Lee helped pave the stream, burying it under an elevated highway as he was a young employee at Hyundai Construction and Engineering in the 1960s. In 2006, he re-paved and buried it over artificial stream for ever when he was a mayor of Seoul city.
**In front of the Gyeongbok Palace, there has been a DRUM, which people can signal what they want to say unfairness to the King. You may see a Blue House, where president lives at the foot of the mountain below. Gyeongbok Palace is in front of it.