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🇰🇷 South Korea /Energy & Infrastructure

Residents Furious Over Planned 200-Megawatt Data Center Just 250 Meters From Muan Apartments

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Residents in Muan’s Oryong district oppose a planned 200-megawatt data center on a site about 250 meters from their apartment complexes.
  • They cite concerns about heat, nighttime noise, fires, safety and possible high-frequency exposure, while the developer has applied to build three facilities.
  • The dispute reflects wider conflicts over data centers near residential areas and growing calls for tighter planning rules in South Korea.

Residents of Muan’s Oryong district are protesting a planned 200-megawatt data center that would stand about 250 meters from their apartment complexes. Yellow banners opposing approval without residents’ consent now hang around the neighborhood.

Residents told a reporter they were outraged that land developed as a place to provide a good living environment had been sold for a data center. Oryong and neighboring Namak are home to 54.3% of Muan County’s population, including many young families. Two elementary schools are scheduled to open in Oryong this year.

If a 200-megawatt data center is coming in front of an apartment complex, who would approve of it?

· Muan residentsResidents questioned the planned facility’s location near homes.

The dispute began after the Jeonnam Development Corp. sold a 37,695-square-meter site in Oryong-ri for about 22.8 billion won last Aug. 20. The site is designated for support facilities that can include broadcasting and communications facilities, a category that covers data centers. The developer applied to Muan County on July 31 for permission to build three structures with a combined floor area of 85,667 square meters: a data center, a generator building and an office building.

The risk of high-frequency exposure and fires is something we have to bear, even though there are many elementary school children?

· Lee Seung-hyunA resident raised safety concerns about the project.

Residents have filed collective complaints and raised concerns about heat from large servers and cooling systems, nighttime noise from cooling fans and emergency generators, as well as fires and other safety incidents. They point to conflicts in Seoul and other parts of Gyeonggi Province, where residents have opposed smaller facilities. A proposed 5-megawatt center in Seoul’s Geumcheon district triggered protests, while another in Yeongdeungpo has had approval delayed as officials review electromagnetic waves and complaints.

The residents say developers may be turning to provincial areas as opposition grows in the capital region. The planned center is 40 times the size of the 5-megawatt facility that drew protests in Seoul. Muan County Council adopted a resolution opposing the project and urging officials to deny approval, and the county is not expected to decide quickly.

At 200 megawatts, it should go into an industrial complex or a site created through development.

· Kim Won-jungA Muan county council member criticized the proposed location.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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