Yeongnangho Footbridge to Be Dismantled After Five-Year Ecosystem Dispute, Wasting 2.9 Billion Won

The Yeongnangho footbridge, built despite years of opposition from residents and environmental groups, will be dismantled five years after its completion. Sokcho plans to spend another 700 million won to remove the tourism facility, adding to the more than 2.2 billion won already spent on construction.

Sokcho City Council approved the demolition budget as part of a supplementary budget for 2026. The city also separately spent 20 million won on a study of demolition methods and costs. The project is expected to be completed by next year.

The dispute began in 2020, when Sokcho promoted the 400-meter footbridge across Yeongnangho as a way to stimulate tourism in the city’s underdeveloped northern area. Environmental groups and residents warned that the structure could damage the lagoon ecosystem. A local group called “People Who Will Do Something to Protect Yeongnangho” organized silent protests, a petition drive and a request for a public-interest audit. Residents also filed a lawsuit in 2021 after the city proceeded with construction. The bridge was completed in November that year.

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The effects of installing a crossing structure such as the footbridge are already appearing in the lagoon ecosystem and are expected to persist and accumulate over time. Therefore, from a long-term aquatic ecosystem perspective, removing the footbridge appears desirable.

The conflict shifted in July 2024, when a court ordered the authorities to take prompt measures to remove the bridge as part of efforts to restore Yeongnangho’s water quality and ecosystem. The decision relied on a yearlong monitoring project by Kangwon National University’s Environmental Research Institute. The study concluded that a crossing structure such as the bridge was already affecting the lagoon ecosystem, that the effects could accumulate over time, and that removal appeared desirable in the long term.

The court did not set a specific deadline, however, and demolition was delayed for more than two years. An earlier city council had cut the demolition budget in full, citing possible effects on the local economy. Environmental groups welcomed the approval, calling it a historic decision that reflected residents’ demands and a democratic result of sustained civic action.

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This decision is a historic one that reflects the demands of citizens who have long acted to preserve the environment, and a major turning point for protecting Yeongnangho’s ecology and safety.