In 2009, South Korea launched the
Four Major Rivers Restoration project
. Its goal was to improve water quality in the Han, Nakdong, Geum, and Yeongsan rivers, and to make parts of South Korea more resistant to floods and drought. The latter part of that plan involved building 16 dams. Cost? 22 trillion won, or about £15bn.
For their money, South Koreans do not appear to have received all they were promised by the former government of Lee Myung-bak. Since the project was declared complete in 2011, it has been slammed by the country¡¯s Board of Audit and Inspection: in 2013
it found
that ¡°due to faulty designs, 11 out of 16 dams lack sturdiness, water quality is feared to deteriorate ¡¦ and excessive maintenance costs will be required¡±.
Earlier this year, South Korean president Moon Jae-in stepped in – and ordered yet
another audit
.