The Miryang–Cheongdo Protest is a movement by local residents who opposed the construction of transmission towers, criticizing the infringement on their rights to health and property.
In January 2000, during the third year of the Kim Dae-jung administration, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy established the 5th Long-term Electric Power Supply and Demand Plan to transport electricity from the Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant . In 2002, the Ministry and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) designated Miryang-si (Gyeongsangnam-do) and Cheongdo-gun (Gyeongsangbuk-do) as construction sites for transmission towers to transport power from Units 3 and 4 of the Shin-Kori plant in Ulju-gun (Ulsan) to the North Gyeongnam Substation in Changnyeong-gun (Gyeongsangnam-do). This plan lacked procedural legitimacy as it failed to comply with regulations regarding the collection of residents' opinions.
Residents of Miryang and Cheongdo opposed the construction, arguing that extra-high voltage transmission lines generate electromagnetic fields that are harmful to the human body—potentially causing cancer—and infringe upon property rights regarding land and real estate. Starting with the first rally at Yeosu Village (Sangdong-myeon, Miryang) on December 5, 2005, residents carried out various activities for the Miryang–Cheongdo Protest for several years.
Despite this, when the Lee Myung-bak administration selected contractors (Hyundai, Hanshin, Doosan, and Samsung) and began surveying in 2008, residents held general mobilization rallies and demonstrations against KEPCO to demand the total cancellation of the project. On March 18, 2009, the Joint Committee Against Substation and Transmission Construction was launched, involving residents and environmental groups to stop the forced construction.
Extreme conflicts and clashes erupted during several attempts to force construction: the 1st attempt on July 2, 2009; 2nd on August 6; 3rd on September 15; 4th on October 8; 5th on December 8, 2010; 6th on April 4, 2011; 7th on July 6; 8th on September 3; and the 9th on November 1. On January 16, 2012, Lee Chi-woo from Bora Village(Sanoe-myeon, Miryang) committed self-immolation in protest against the towers, bringing national attention to the issue. On February 1, the Emergency Committee for the Late Martyr Lee Chi-woo was formed (later renamed the Miryang Protest Committee on November 9). Despite the Hope Bus for Nuclear-Free event on March 17-18, 2012, the 10th and 11th forced construction attempts followed on April 12 and July 2. In response, the Miryang Protest Committee and residents set up eight makeshift huts on July 2 and began a sit-in protest.

• <Construction site in Badri Village, Danjang-myeon, Miryang(2013)>

• <Site of Transmission Tower No. 126 in Sangdong-myeon, Miryang(2013)>

• <KEPCO employees arriving at the protest site in Dogok Village, Sangdong-myeon, Miryang(2013)>

• <Amnesty International Solidarity with Miryang(2013)>

• <Protest site in Goran Village, Sanoe-myeon, Miryang(2013)>

• <Mass being held at Site No. 115 (2014)>

On May 20, 2013, under the Park Geun-hye administration, the 12th forced construction attempt took place. For the first time, approximately 500 police officers were mobilized to suppress the residents' fierce resistance. During the 13th forced construction on October 1, KEPCO employees and the police used violence against resisting residents, followed by targeted investigations and arrests of both residents and solidarity activists. Nationwide support and solidarity expanded through the 1st Miryang Hope Bus from November 30 to December 1, 2013. However, on December 6, Yu Han-suk from Gojeong Village (Sangdong-myeon, Miryang) passed away after ingesting poison. Subsequently, continuous clashes between the police and residents repeated. On January 25-26, 2014, the 2nd Miryang Hope Bus was organized, leading to a large-scale demonstration with a total of 4,000 participants from 46 regions across the country. Nevertheless, on June 11, 2014, KEPCO, the police, and the Miryang City Government carried out an administrative execution. Approximately 2,000 police officers, along with 200 KEPCO employees and city officials, demolished the protest sites and forcibly removed the residents to push forward with the transmission tower construction. Following this, the residents declared 'Season 2 of the Miryang–Cheongdo Protest' and have continued their struggle for anti-nuclear and anti-transmission tower causes to this day.

• <he 1st Miryang Hope Bus at Yeosu Village, Sangdong-myeon, Miryang; participated by Father Moon Kyu-hyun and Baek Ki-wan, (2013)>

  <The 132nd Candlelight Vigil at the Yeongnamnu Pavilion, Miryang, (2014)>

• <Online poster for the 2nd Miryang Hope Bus departing from Ulsan(2014)>

On June 13, 2019, the Special Committee on Investigation of Human Rights Violations of the Korean National Police Agency announced the results of its investigation into the "Miryang–Cheongdo Transmission Tower Construction Incident." The committee released a decision and review results stating that the police had excessively suppressed the protests against the transmission tower construction without considering the safety of the residents. Furthermore, the committee recommended:
An official apology from the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency for the unjust exercise of public power. Institutional improvements regarding the requirements and procedures for deploying police forces. Measures to prevent the recurrence of illegal surveillance and conciliation of residents. Prevention of human rights violations. Development of healing measures for the residents' property damage as well as their mental and physical health issues.

Special Committee on Investigation of Human Rights Violations (National Police Agency), <Decision and Review Results on the Miryang–Cheongdo Transmission Tower Construction Incident>
https://www.korea.kr/news/pressReleaseView.do?newsId=156336121

*All photos above were produced by the Miryang Protest Committee and are used with permission under the CC-BY-NC-SA license.