Old people holding a stick… crossing the ice plate of Daecheong Lake

A resident of Odae Village, Okcheon-eup, Okcheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, walks on the ice plate of Daecheong Lake to receive hospital treatment on the 7th. [사진 이세원 이장]

In the village of Odae-ri, Okcheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, called the’island in the land’, residents crossing the ice plate of Daecheong Lake, 7 to 8 meters deep, occurred. As the Daecheong Lake was frozen due to a cold wave from the previous day, operation of the iron line, the only means of transportation in Odae Village, was suspended.

According to Okcheon-gun on the 7th, the residents of Odae-ri walk 400m on the ice plate of Daecheong Lake while relying on a stick to move to Danang-ri in East and then go to and from Okcheon-eup. Odae Village is an remote village called’island in the land’ because the road connecting the Okcheon-eup area was submerged as the Daecheong Dam was created. There are 18 residents living in 14 households.

Most of the villagers are in their 70s to 80s. These are chronic diseases, so they have to visit Okcheon-eup to buy hospital care and daily necessities. In Odae Village, where boats were often cut off in winter, a 2t class amphibious air lift was operated in 2015 with a support of 400 million won from the Korea Water Resources Corporation. The ship blows compressed air under the hull, allowing it to move freely on the surface or on ice.

However, the buoyant boat is not available this winter. During a heavy rain in August last year, when the air-lifting boat was flooded, electronic devices were broken, and the repair was entrusted in early December of last year. Lee Se-won (70), head of Odae Village, said, “The repair cost of the air-lifting boat was 25 million won, but it was too large for the residents to pay for the maintenance. I got an answer that I couldn’t do it.” The 2.1t wire, which operated instead of an air-lifting boat, has been unable to operate because the lake has frozen since the 6th.

Odae Village, Okcheon-eup, Okcheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, cannot be operated due to the freezing of the iron line and Daecheong Lake. [사진 이세원 이장]

When the only means of transportation in winter became unavailable, the villagers were walking along the ice path of Daecheong Lake, risking a safety accident. In fact, three residents of Odae Village walked through the snowy Daecheong Lake to visit a hospital in Okcheon-eup. Some people crossed the Daecheong Lake the day before to buy necessities. Lee said, “The residents are crossing the lake by tapping on the ice one by one without a safety rope, and checking the ice by tapping on it. . Residents of Odae Village are asking for the installation of a safety rope that can prevent safety accidents.

An official from the Korea Water Resources Corporation said, “There is no basis for paying for repair costs exceeding 5 million won in annual operating expenses to support airlifting boats,” and “I will find a reasonable plan in consideration of the equity of budget execution and the safety of residents.”

An official in Okcheon-gun said, “Odae Village is an isolated village due to the construction of the Daecheong Dam, and the air levitation boat broke down due to the failure of the Water Resources Corporation to control the water level of the dam during the last flood. The Korea Water Resources Corporation should pay the repair fee for the buyang well.”

Okcheon = Reporter Choi Jong-kwon [email protected]