Democratic Party lawmakers and merchants' association hold press conference demanding disclosure of permit process

Facility with 4 below-ground and 11 above-ground floors set for ground-breaking next month; residents cite fire, noise and electromagnetic concerns

Calls for former Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and former district mayor to explain approval process; developer urged to adopt community benefit measures

Incheon City Assembly member Choi Byeong-eun, Seo-gu Council Speaker Ko Seon-hui, and Seo-gu council members Jeong Yeong-sin and Kim Tae-hyeong hold a press conference Friday calling for the data center project to be halted and demanding safety measures for residents. [Provided by Seo-gu Council]
Incheon City Assembly member Choi Byeong-eun, Seo-gu Council Speaker Ko Seon-hui, and Seo-gu council members Jeong Yeong-sin and Kim Tae-hyeong hold a press conference Friday calling for the data center project to be halted and demanding safety measures for residents. [Provided by Seo-gu Council]

Residents and merchants near Incheon's North Port are mounting growing opposition to plans for a large-scale data center in Wonchang-dong, Seo-gu.

Critics say the project has moved forward without securing community consent or conducting adequate safety reviews.

Democratic Party of Korea Incheon City Assembly members Kim Young-sang and Choi Byeong-eun, along with Seo-gu council members and members of the North Port Merchants' Association, held a press conference Friday at the Seo-gu Council meeting room, demanding a full accounting of the permit and approval process for the data center project.

Attendees included City Assembly member Choi, Seo-gu Council Speaker Ko Seon-hui, council members Jeong Yeong-sin and Kim Tae-hyeong, and representatives of the North Port Merchants' Association.

The data center at the center of the dispute is planned for a site near North Port, an area dense with commercial buildings and retail shops. The facility would span 4 below-ground and 11 above-ground floors with a power capacity of 50 megawatts.

The site sits adjacent to a large shopping center that residents use regularly, and the developer plans to break ground next month.

Those at the press conference focused their criticism on the fact that the project received its permits during the tenures of People Power Party former Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and former Seo-gu District Mayor Kang Beom-seok.

Participants said a ground-breaking notification was processed as recently as April, while Kang was still in office, yet nearby residents and merchants were never properly informed of the project's details or given a meaningful opportunity to provide input.

"This is a large facility that directly affects the safety and livelihoods of local residents, yet residents were not properly informed of the project or its specifics," they said. "An administrative process that excludes community input has abandoned its responsibility to the local community."

Fire risk topped the list of concerns. Participants cited the danger posed by the large-scale power equipment and battery installations that data centers require, saying concrete verification was needed of how a fire could spread to neighboring shops and residential areas.

Lithium-ion battery fires are particularly difficult to suppress in the early stages and carry a prolonged risk of reignition, they noted. They called on the developer to publicly disclose the type and scale of related equipment, fire prevention and response systems, and plans for fire suppression facilities.

The project's potential impact on the local commercial district and real estate values also emerged as a flashpoint. Merchants said a large data center in the heart of the commercial area would heighten concerns about noise and electromagnetic waves, and could deter customer traffic and discourage new businesses from opening nearby.

"While it is hard to identify any concrete economic benefits or job creation plans that would actually flow back to the community, residents and merchants are being left to bear the burden of safety risks and falling property values," participants said. "Community consultation must be a prerequisite for moving this project forward."

The lawmakers signaled they would take the matter to the assembly, pledging to scrutinize the relevant permit documents and administrative procedures and to review everything from the power and water supply plans required to operate the facility to fire and safety deliberations and the eventual occupancy approval process.

They also called on the developer to engage in open disclosure and dialogue, demanding that specific data be provided on fire safety, noise and electromagnetic measurements and impact assessments, power and water consumption, and effects on the surrounding streetscape, along with a community benefit plan that residents can accept.

The attendees laid out four key demands: an explanation from former Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and former Seo-gu District Mayor Kang Beom-seok regarding the data center's permit process; public disclosure by the developer of data on fire safety, noise and electromagnetic waves; provision of information on power and water usage and visual impact on the surrounding area; and the establishment of a community benefit plan and formal dialogue with local residents and merchants.

"A project that disregards residents' safety and property rights cannot claim legitimacy," they said. "If sufficient explanation and safety measures are not put in place before ground-breaking, we will mount a strong response as the project proceeds."

With ground-breaking scheduled for next month and demands for safety verification and permit transparency continuing to mount from nearby merchants and residents, the conflict between the community and the developer is expected to become a defining issue as the project moves forward.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com