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2023. Sep VOL. 666
2023. Sep VOL. 666
Korea in the 1960s had neither organization nor system specializing in the management of its water resources. The country had approximately 114 billion tons of inflow, but most of it evaporates or gets swept into sea, leaving behind only 7%—approx. 8 billion tons—to be used. It was in 1962 when Korea started industrialization efforts in a full-fledged manner, launching five-year economic plans that led to a dramatic increase in the demand for water. As it became necessary to supply more water for Korea’s capital area including Seoul, the Korean government decided to build a dam, choosing Soyanggang Valley 12km upward from the confluence of Soyanggang and Bukhangang rivers as the right place to have the dam.
The decision was followed by extensive discussions on the size of the submerged area, economic value, interests between those involved, and other issues before starting the construction of the multipurpose dam that would be today’s Soyanggang Dam.
In the initial stage of its planning, American corporation Smith Hinchman & Grill, and Japan’s Nippon Koei suggested that a concrete structure would be most appropriate for the dam. Their opinion was turned down during the stage of working design by a new opinion supporting a rock-fill dam (dam with an internal impervious wall made of impermeable materials such as subsoil).
Since its completion, Soyanggang Dam has been playing a key role in water supply and prevention of natural disasters through effective flood control. The dam supplies 3.32 million tons of water every day for the Korean capital area, providing 1.2 billion cubic meters annually for domestic and industrial uses and 13 million cubic meters for agriculture. These constitute 45% of the total amount of water supplied to the capital area. When a severe drought struck Korea in 1978, the dam played a crucial role in the effort to overcome the damages caused by the drought through stable water supply. When the entire city of Chuncheon was hit by water outage in July 2021, the dam increased the water discharge amount by three times the average to provide enough water for the local water purification plants; thus making a great contribution to the effort for the early restoration of normal life.
Soyanggang Dam outperforms other multipurpose dams built along the water catchments of Han River in controlling the water level of the river by providing 255 million cubic meters of water for the river every year so that it can properly function as a waterway. The dam also maintains average storage of 500 million cubic meters of water, playing an important part in the protection of Korea’s capital area against natural disasters such as flood caused by heavy rain and typhoon.
Soyanggang Dam operates two power generators each with capacity of 100,000kW, which contributed greatly to dealing with the struggles of coping with power shortages in the 1970s. Currently, the dam still operates the generators, generating 11% of the total hydroelectric power generated in Korea. It is the second largest amount, following that generated by Chungju Dam, which was completed in 1985. Since its completion, Soyanggang Dam has been producing 465GWH of clean energy annually, an amount that can meet the demand from a population of 435,000 every year; thus contributing to the switch to environment-friendly energy. The role of Soyanggang Dam as a major engine for the growth of the national economy and security still continues today.
The construction of Soyanggang Dam opened a new chapter in the lives of the native inhabitants in the villages that were to be submerged by the dam. Many of these villagers had been committed to traditional field farming but—after moving their homes—were given an opportunity to extend their work to diverse agricultural fields including cash crop farming, livestock, and sericulture. The completion of the dam was also followed by an inflow of tourists and anglers to the area, contributing to the development of the tourist industry with photo studios, sledge rental shops, and restaurants, which in turn contributed to income growth and improvement of the standard of living for the local communities.
The construction of Chuncheon Dam and Uiam Dam in the late 1960s turned Chuncheon into a “lake city,” a city surrounded by manmade lakes. The construction of Soyanggang Dam consolidated the image of the city as a lake city, which contributed to the growth of Chuncheon into a major tourist attraction in Korea. The construction of Soyanggang Dam also contributed to the birth of local delicacies Dakgalbi (i.e., barbecued chicken) and Makguksu (i.e., buckwheat noodle), which first enjoyed great popularity among the laborers who participated in the construction of the dam and later gained nationwide fame representing the city of Chuncheon. The creation of the huge manmade lake by the dam resulted in the operation of tourist boats linking various scenic sites around the lake with the historic Buddhist temple Cheongpyeongsa.
According to the latest business impact analysis conducted by the Chuncheon-si administration based on big data, the number one tourist attraction in the Chuncheon area was Soyanggang Dam. The dam is visited by many tourists even during lean season, particularly when it opens its sluice gates.
Since the completion of its construction, Soyanggang Dam has played a crucial role in the development of the tourist industry in Chuncheon and as the very birthplace of Korea’s rapid economic growth after the 1960s, which would later be called the ‘Miracle of Han River.’
* In the October issue, Soyang River Dam 50th Anniversary Special ② will be published, covering the vision and future of Soyang River Dam.
