SEVERED ROADS IN BORYEONG

[Anchor Lead]

March 1st marks a defining moment in Korea’s independence movement history, the day of the March 1st Independence Movement. There were many little-known activists who fought for independence at some of the most lowly positions in society. Ahead of the March 1st Movement, a musical production inspired by a gisaeng named Hyanghwa, who led the protest in the Suwon region, is underway.

[Pkg]

A neighborhood in downtown Boryeong, home to a large apartment complex and a cluster of stores... The section between the road in front of a supermarket and the road stretching by the residential complex of more than a thousand households is severed.
A "Dead End" sign and a steel fence have been installed in the area where the two roads are supposed to be connected. Last June, the government of Boryeong City invested 1.4 billion won to build a new road in front of the supermarket, but it has yet to be connected to the existing road. Drivers have no choice but to turn their cars around last minute, sometimes even encroaching on pedestrian sidewalks.

[Soundbite] Lee Yeon-kyung(Boryeong resident) : "It's not a road. It's an example of failed administration. People who are unaware of the dead end will belatedly realize they have to turn around."

With the roads being closed, the area has been turned into a parking lot. The local government launched the construction of the new road in 2019 even before obtaining permission to use the land plot in question from its owner, who did not give consent until last April. The two sides failed to reach an agreement on compensation for using the privately owned land plot. Yet, construction continued.

[Soundbite] Hong Sung-yeol(Boryeong City Gov’t) : "If nothing is built on the site of the road after obtaining a construction permit, various problems may occur, such as illegal farming."

Boryeong City Hall says the problem will be solved when a third road is built in the area, because the section in question is included in another construction project. However, it is slated for completion in 2024, meaning local residents will be unable to use the new road in the heart of their city for more than three years.