Last state-owned coal mine closes

[Anchor]

The last remaining state-owned coal mine in South Korea, the Dogye Mine in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, has closed its doors after 89 years.

As the era of coal, which drove economic development, comes to an end, residents are expressing concerns about the collapse of the local economy.

This is a report by Jeong Myeong-gu.

[Report]

In the 1970s, when industrialization was in full swing.

The coal extracted from 500 meters underground, in dark and cramped mines, was the spearhead of economic development.

The entrance to the mine, where miners covered in coal dust used to come and go, is now firmly closed.

The Dogye Mine, the last state-owned coal mine in the country, has officially ceased operations.

It has been 89 years since it opened in 1936 during the Japanese colonial period.

During that time, the Dogye Mine produced a total of 43 million tons of coal.

[Cho Soon-ki/Dogye Mine Employee: "Having worked here for over 40 years, I can only express my regret that we couldn't stop the closure."]

Once there were over 300 coal mines, but following the implementation of the coal industry rationalization policy in 1988, they rapidly declined.

In 2023, after the closure of the mines in Hwasun, Jeollanam-do, and Taebaek, Gangwon-do, the Dogye Mine has now also closed.

With all government-operated mines shutting down, the Korea Coal Corporation will also fade into history.

[Lee Geun-sang/Korea Coal Corporation Employee: "I have worked with pride as the first public enterprise in South Korea, and I feel sorry about how this is coming to an end."]

Residents in the mining area are protesting, stating that the closure is being pushed forward without alternative industries, such as a medical cluster, being established, threatening their survival.

[Kim Gwang-tae/Joint Committee Chair for Opposition to Mine Closure: "The fact that the government has not yet proposed alternative industries is a reflection of political absence or dereliction of duty..."]

The only remaining coal mine in the country is a privately owned mine in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, but it is uncertain how long it will survive amid the energy transition.

This is KBS News, Jeong Myeong-gu.