Expectations Rise Following Announcement to Move Civilian Control Line North; What Are the Key Challenges?

[Anchor]

Expectations are rising in border regions following the Ministry of National Defense's announcement last week that it will move the Civilian Control Line (CCL) further north. In particular, the "Clean Energy Highway" project, a campaign pledge by Gangwon State Governor-elect Woo Sang-ho, is expected to gain momentum. However, securing idle land and establishing power transmission facilities remain key challenges.

G1 Broadcasting reporter Choi Gyeong-sik has the story.

[Reporter]

The Clean Energy Highway project was the first campaign pledge announced by Governor-elect Woo Sang-ho during the local election period.

The core of the plan is to build solar and wind power facilities on idle land in border areas—made available by the northward shift of the Civilian Control Line—and sell the generated electricity to the Seoul metropolitan area.

[Woo Sang-ho/Governor-elect (April 1): "By viewing the Civilian Control Line not merely as a barrier, but as an 'energy highway' where clean energy is produced, we can change the perception of the region. That is why I unveiled this specific pledge today."]

With the Ministry of National Defense announcing plans to move the Civilian Control Line up to 4km north, Governor-elect Woo's clean energy project for Gangwon is set to gain traction.

Gangwon State plans to launch a feasibility study in the first half of next year and begin a pilot project in 2028.

The plan is to install solar power facilities in Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, and Sokcho, which have significant forest coverage, while focusing on wind power facilities in Goseong, Yangyang, and Inje, where wind speeds are relatively high.

The revenue from selling electricity to the metropolitan area is intended to be distributed to residents in the border regions in the form of a "clean energy pension."

The key challenges lie in securing idle military land following the shift of the Civilian Control Line and building the necessary power transmission infrastructure.

This is because expanding transmission facilities will be inevitable in most border areas when installing power generation plants.

Gangwon State estimates the total project cost at 250 billion won.

As this is more than triple the amount originally estimated by Governor-elect Woo, securing funding, including state subsidies, remains a task to be addressed.

[Kim Hak-sung/Head of the Energy New Industry Team, Gangwon State: "We plan to form a working-level consultative body with relevant agencies to proactively address issues such as securing local resident acceptance and resolving Korea Electric Power Corporation's (KEPCO) grid connection problems."]

The transition committee for the 9th popularly elected provincial governor plans to review the implementation plan for the clean energy pledge next week and solidify the project's roadmap.

(Video reporting: Shin Hyun-geol, G1 Broadcasting | CG: Lee Min-seok, G1 Broadcasting)

G1 Choi Gyeong-sik
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.