The completed Saemangeum seawall, dubbed the "Great Wall on the Sea," and the world’s longest sea dike was awarded the Guinness World Records Certificate on August 2 2010 after 19 years of construction. The certificate presentation ceremony was held at the Sinsi Plaza of Saemangeum Sea Dike in North Jeolla Province.
Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Chang Tae-pyong, commented that "Based on our ability to construct the world’s longest Saemangeum sea dike, we will collect all forces to create new legends that will astound the world. Let us work together for the Saemangeum region to become an economic hub of Northeast Asia and a stronghold of low-carbon and green growth that integrates industries, leisure, environment and cutting-edge agriculture."
Today, the Saemangeum seawall measures 33.9 kilometers (21.06 miles) in length. It links Gunsan and Buan along the southwestern coast of North Jeolla Province, and is a prime area for developing various government projects such as those for agriculture, tourism, science and technology research, and renewable energy industries.
Saemangeum’s construction was one of Korea’s largest engineering projects, which cost a total of KRW 290 million as well as involving approximately 2.37 million workers and 910,000 construction facilities including dumps and dredgers. Builders adopted the stone net method, an unconventional building method, which entailed wrapping large rocks in nets.
Christy Chin, Guinness World Records’ representative in Asia, presented the official certificate to the President of the Korea Rural Community Cooperation, Mr. Hong Moon-Pyo. "I am very impressed to see the greatest and most magnificent construction in this country. The purpose of the Saemangeum embankment was not only to secure enough arable land to ensure food security for the future, but also their government is also planning to develop Saemanguem into a U-agricultural city, combining farming and urban areas, taking into consideration the environment and ecosystem" said Christy Chin.
"The Saemangeum Sea Dike is the world’s first construction in the deep sea of the highest level of difficulty successfully completed with Korean technology. The Guinness Records award is an opportunity to confirm that Korea has world-class technology when it comes to the construction of sea dikes." said Mr. Hong Moon-Pyo.
Christy Chin - 17 August 2010
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