(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seong-mi – The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 31st that it will implement a maintenance project for unused overhead cables in 355 maintenance areas across 26 local governments, including 25 districts in Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City, targeting 153,673 utility poles this year.
The Ministry held the 36th Overhead Cable Maintenance Council on the same day to establish this year’s maintenance plan.
The overhead cable maintenance project involves organizing or burying tangled wires or broadcast/communication cables that detract from aesthetics and threaten public safety on roads or buildings, in collaboration with local governments, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and broadcast/telecommunication operators.
Recently, in Gunsan City, North Jeolla Province, telecommunication poles collapsed due to a crane violating height regulations during work, causing injuries to an elementary student, highlighting abandoned cables as causes of accidents.
This year, they will introduce and pilot the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) method, which allows for laying telecommunication conduits without excavating the road surface.
The HDD method is expected to be relatively easier compared to the existing undergrounding methods that require long-term road control and to reduce safety threats to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The Ministry has been conducting a mass removal project for canceled, abandoned cables since last year, estimating about 7 million lines, more than initially expected, thus proceeding with a long-term removal plan.
Last year, they removed 1 million lines and plan to remove about 2 million lines annually over the next three years until 2027.
From 2028, the plan is to introduce a system where cables are removed within 30 days of service cancellation to prevent any abandoned cables from occurring.