After broadcasting a show praising the Saemangeum reclamation in 2010, the Discovery Channel is once again encouraging environmentally harmful development projects. Below is the transcription of an advertisement they are currently screening every hour, presented in the format of one of their own documentaries:
“South Korea, a leader in cutting-edge technology. And now its taking on global warming and natures fury, by re-engineering its rivers into smart rivers.
What goes into these intelligent waterways? First, dredging. The riverbeds are dredged deep, allowing the rivers to flow better.
Step two: adding dams and weirs, that either completely stop, or regulate the flow of water.
And there’s an even more important component: flood and rain control centers. The result is the Four Rivers Project, a development by the Korean Government.
These rivers are given a new lease on life. Man and nature, now in harmony.
Total water service provider. K-Water.”
Thanks for posting this. I’ve seen the commercials a few times and have become incensed about it every time. Discovery doing it makes it even worse for me.
Discovery Channel now screening a full-length documentary praising the Four Rivers Project:
“INSIDE OUT: SMART RIVER/ HYDRO TECH MARVEL 12/12/23 4pm Discovery Channel
What makes for a Smart River? Marriage of cutting edge technology to a comprehensive vision that addresses 21st century challenges across multiple dimensions leading to a new paradigm.”
http://www.tlcasia.com/tv-schedule-discovery-channel
This one-sided program claims that the project has enhanced and restored the ecology and that wildlife is thriving now that the rivers have been cleaned. It even claims that the new infrstructure mimics the natural riverside habitat.
It justifies the project on the basis that annual flooding cost “countless lives” and caused damage to riverside farmland.