[K-Water]
SEOUL -- K-water, a state water resource development and management agency, initiated a new project with local governments to build a huge artificial surfing park in a seaside reservoir created by a giant seawall in the southwestern city of Siheung.
In a ceremony Thursday at the office of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Daewon Plus Construction, K-water and local governments. K-water is responsible for a broad project called "Sihwa MTV (mutl-techno valley)" to build a high-tech industrial complex along with leisure and recreational facilities around the reservoir in Siheung.
"I am very pleased to have the world's largest artificial surfing park in the Sihwa MTV," K-water CEO Lee Hak-soo said in the ceremony which was also by officials from Wavegarden, a Spanish engineering company which develops and produces wave generating systems and lagoons for surfing and other watersports. It's not clear if the European company will chip in.
An initial roadmap calls for the construction of a surfing park by 2020 and other facilities including a hotel and a marina by 2023. The cost was set at 563 billion won ($498 million).
For decades, central and provincial governments have unveiled a number of costly projects to build industrial or leisure facilities on reclaimed land mainly along the west coast, but implementation has often been delayed due to the lack of money or disputes with environmental activists and local residents.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
