hankyoreh

North Gyeongsang Province and calling for a popular vote on the issue in front of the county council

A privately organized referendum asking residents of Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province whether they support or oppose the construction of a nuclear plant in their county will be held on Nov. 11.

During a press conference held on Sep. 9, the committee organizing the referendum said, “We decided to hold the nuclear reactor referendum on Nov. 11. Starting today, we will be providing absentee ballots, advance voting, and official voting to enable as many residents as possible to participate.”

“In an opinion poll held in April, 65% of residents responded that they wanted to have a referendum, and this percentage increased to 68% in a survey done last month. It’s a basic right of citizens to take part in making important decisions. We decided to prepare a referendum ourselves to restore this right that the central government and Yeongdeok County have denied,” said Park Hye-ryeong, secretary general of the committee.

The specific method of holding the referendum will be decided by the referendum management committee, which will launch on Oct. 5.

Yeongdeok County has a population of around 40,000. Approximately 35,000 of residents are 19 years or above, meaning they are eligible to vote.

But Choi Myeong-shik, manager of local administration for Yeongdeok County, pointed out that the referendum will have no legal force. “The committee asked us to help by providing a list of voters’ names, but there wasn’t anything in the law that said we could help. The county office opposes the plan for a referendum, but they have no choice but to stand by and watch.”

The central government is planning to build four 1.4 million kW nuclear reactors on 3.2 million square-meters of land in the villages of Nomul, Maejeong, and Seokri in Yeongdeok Township, Yeongdeok County, by 2035.

Residents of the county protested fiercely when the area was selected as a possible site for the project in 2011.

In October of last year, residents of Samcheok, Gangwon Province, which was also selected as a possible site for building nuclear reactors along with Yeongdeok County, organized their own public referendum, in which 84.97% of residents opposed the project.

By Koo Dae-sun, Daegu correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]