Restoration of Nature or Special Interests? A Political Economy Analysis of the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project in South Korea

Abstract

In 2009, a large-scale construction project on rivers and riparian zones in South Korea, which is called the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, was launched. The officially announced purposes of this project included: (1) solving water shortages, (2) improving water quality, and (3) providing citizens with leisure facilities. However, adverse environmental consequences such as deterioration of water quality, mass death of aquatic life, and soil contamination have been consistently reported. The current study focuses on illuminating South Korean political economy contexts and analyzing stakeholders’ political and/or economic interests that shaped the project. We conclude that reinforced neoliberalism in South Korea after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 should be considered to understand the background of this project. Within the neoliberal contexts, we also argue that political and economic interests of three stakeholders—business, the state, and the public—were closely associated with the implementation of this project.