[광주=뉴시스] Reporter Lee Young-ju reports that on the morning of the 4th, residents gathered around the collapsed transparent flood defense wall near Seoam-daero 100beon-gil in Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. The residents claim that during the heavy rain of 426mm on the 17th of last month, the transparent flood defense wall acted like a basin, causing the village to be flooded, and they plan to file a lawsuit against the authorities. 2025.08.04. [email protected]
[광주=뉴시스] Reporter Song Chang-heon writes that Gwangju City is considering whether to demolish or improve the flood prevention wall in Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, which is embroiled in controversy due to repeated flooding caused by extreme rainfall.
Mayor Kang Gi-jung of Gwangju announced at a press briefing on the 4th that “five years ago, we spent 13 billion won to install the flood prevention wall to prevent river overflow, but this time, the water could not flow out, causing significant damage to the village, and even the previous day, we suffered two hours of flooding, so I have ordered a comprehensive review for flood prevention.”
Mayor Kang explained that they are considering whether to improve the system so that water can exit from the road while not allowing it to enter from the river, or whether to completely remove (demolish) the flood prevention structure.
He also mentioned that “because the 24m conduit and 12m conduit collide at the meeting point of Seobangcheon and Yongbongcheon, the area in front of Chonnam National University Dental Hospital in Sinan-dong and the main gate of Chonnam National University is repeatedly flooded, so we will first focus on improving that part and cautiously assess the flood prevention wall that the residents question.”
As for the argument that the covered stream should be restored to an ecological stream to eliminate the flow bottleneck, he showed a cautious stance.
Mayor Kang stated, “The estimated total budget for restoring just 1.6 km of Sinan River is 610 billion won,” adding, “Given the substantial necessary budget, restoration is still in the discussion stage, not yet beyond consideration.”
He further said, “We are specifically looking into about three areas with repetitive habitual flooding, including Yangdong, Sinan-dong, and the vicinity of Yeongsangang River.”
The Sinan-dong flood countermeasure committee has initiated civil and criminal proceedings against Gwangju City and Buk-gu, claiming that the 1.5-meter-high transparent defense wall installed to prevent Seobangcheon from overflowing blocked rainwater flow, turning the village area into a basin, exacerbating the damage.