Title: Measuring the economic benefits of protecting the Tong River in Korea: a Contingent Valuation study

Authors: Seung-Hoon Yoo, Seung-Jun Kwak

Addresses: Department of International Area Studies, Hoseo University, 268 Anseo-Dong, Cheonan, Chungnam, 330-713, Korea. ' Department of Economics, Korea University, 5-1 Anam-Dong, Sungbuk-Ku, Seoul, 136-701, Korea

Abstract: Whether or not to construct the Tong River Multi-purpose Dam, a large project that will adversely impact local people and the environment, has become quite a controversial issue in Korea. This paper applies a Contingent Valuation (CV) method to obtain a preliminary evaluation of the benefits of protecting the river. A CV survey of Korean households was conducted to estimate their willingness to pay for preserving instream flows in the Tong River and avoiding the dam. Overall, respondents were willing to contribute a significant amount, on average, per household. This willingness varies according to individual characteristics.

Keywords: contingent valuation; WTP; willingness to pay; Tong River; Korea; renewable energy; multi-purpose dams; river protection; household survey.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2009.027148

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2009 Vol.39 No.1/2, pp.142 - 158

Published online: 16 Jul 2009 *

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