By Jungdo Kim, Director of the ARC Center
Amidst growing controversy over preferential treatment, the “Tamra Offshore Wind Power Expansion Project”—South Korea’s first commercial offshore wind farm—is now awaiting only the final review by the Jeju Provincial Council. The core of this controversy lies in the fact that Governor Oh Young-hun’s ambitious “Public-Led Wind Power Development 2.0 Plan” is failing to function on the ground.
In particular, there is a stark disparity between Governor Oh’s statement during the 420th extraordinary session in September 2023—where he claimed the project would “undergo procedures equivalent to those of a new project”—and the current reality.
A New Project in Practice, but a Loss of Fairness
This expansion is a massive project that increases the facility capacity more than threefold, from 30MW to 102MW, and expands the business area by more than 15 times, from 515,000 $m^2$ to 7,863,402 $m^2$. It is effectively a new development that occupies a vast area of public waters, equivalent to 26 times the size of Marado Island.
Despite this, the Oh Young-hun administration has not conducted any objective evaluations or fair competitive bidding processes. While the existing operator occupies the opportunity cost of a massive marine space and monopolizes revenue from electricity sales, the provincial government—which holds the licensing power—remains silent. The promised “procedures equivalent to a new project” are nowhere to be found.
Why Does “Public-Led 2.0” Bypass Only Tamra Offshore Wind Power?
The current “Ordinance on Licensing and District Designation of Wind Power Generation Business in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province” (hereinafter the Jeju Wind Power Ordinance) mandates that changes to the district area must follow the same procedures as a new designation. Under the Public-Led 2.0 Plan, the Jeju Energy Corporation should have identified the site, and a developer should have been selected through a public contest to maximize benefits for provincial residents.
While the Jeju Energy Corporation is said to be participating, the province has not disclosed whether the level or scope of this participation aligns with the Public-Led 2.0 Plan. Consequently, it is difficult to avoid criticism that this is merely a perfunctory gesture. The provincial government is “passing” its own principles, resulting in what appears to be preferential treatment for a specific operator.
Expansion Without Renewal: A Lack of Procedural Legitimacy
A more significant issue is the expiration of the business period. According to the Jeju Wind Power Ordinance, the designation period for a wind power district is 20 years from the date of notice. For operators who received permits before the district designation system was established, the notice date is set as the final electric utility license date. According to this, Tamra Offshore Wind Power’s operations are set to terminate on August 11, 2026.
By principle, the project should have first secured a “district designation renewal” by submitting a development profit-sharing plan by February 10, 2026 (six months before expiration) and undergoing a rigorous review by the Wind Power Project Deliberation Committee. Proceeding with an “expansion” review—increasing the scale before the project’s sustainability is even confirmed—is a clear procedural contradiction.
The way to verify the sincerity of the provincial government’s policy is through its adherence to principles. Governor Oh has publicly pledged to return profits to residents and achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 through public-led wind power. If he truly considers the interests of the residents, he must redefine the Tamra Offshore Wind Power expansion as a new project and implement the proper procedures immediately.
We strongly urge the provincial government to stop allowing specific companies to monopolize the wind and sea—the public assets of the residents—and to promote the project transparently according to the Public-Led Wind Power Development 2.0 principles established by the Governor himself.
This article was contributed to Jejusori on February 3, 2026.