Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/37279

Recently, large public works like dam projects often raise objections from local communities in the world. Namely, this dispute is called public conflict or NIMBYS (Not In my Back Yard Syndrome). These NIMBY conflicts over construction of public works tend to precipitate conflict between neighborhood and government. The friction is unpredictable and also causes economical problems, namely a decline in land or farm prices. In general, these facilities demand sacrifice by the local residents. However, in the face of beneficial facilities, there is high competition between communities. In example of a negative encounter, there recently occurred a serious conflict over the construction of a dam project between local residents and the central government of South Korea, when local residents opposed to this public works project. This community opposition resulted from the government authority's inability to control the local opposition to the location of the unpopular project. This resistance implies a failure in decision making in which the brunt of the sacrifice is upon the locals yet the economical benefit is reaped by the downstream urban areas. In such cases, farm areas with a shrinking population suffer a decline of land value where unpopular facilities are located and local residents feel that these facilities are being unfairly imposed on them. Accordingly, many countries try to settle down these disputes and for this reason, consensus building in which participative decision making plays a crucial role for conflict settlement and natural conservation is employed. The Purpose of this study is to analyze the construction of dam projects and the consensus building process, and to try to find a way that may settle down the conflict in a reasonable way. The key issues of the study are related to public conflict, consensus building processes such as policy change, public participation, and public involvement. In this article, the conflict between residents and the South Korean government, the HANTANGANG case, are the subject under study.