Lee Calls for Accountability in Review of Illegal Stream and Valley Facilities

President Lee Jae-myung said a joint safety inspection by relevant agencies to verify follow-through on a renewed review of illegal occupation facilities along streams and valleys must be conducted thoroughly, warning that any omissions after repeated crackdowns would be a serious problem.

Lee made the remarks Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, while sharing a related post by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

"We must conduct a thorough inspection and completely restore public trust in the officials in charge," Lee wrote. "If they failed to properly detect and crack down even after being given two chances, then as previously warned, we must strictly hold the responsible public officials accountable for dereliction of duty."

Earlier, Lee raised the issue at a Cabinet meeting after Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung reported that the number of illegal facilities along streams and valleys exceeded 33,000, calling it "a matter of trust in state administration."

Lee said the government must not let the issue slide, warning that people would criticize it as another case of authorities looking the other way.

He added that while 880 illegal valley business facilities had been cited when officials were asked to report them, the figure rose to 33,000 once a full effort began. Lee ordered inspectors to focus on which officials allowed the facilities to remain and, if necessary, to have cases investigated for dereliction of duty.