Seeking Solutions to Collective Conflict over Power Generation Facility Construction — Together with Government, Academia,
and Environmental Groups

- ACRC discussed resolution of collective petitions at the 2026 Korean Association for Conflict Studies Summer Academic Conference

- Presented ways of shifting collective petition handling from “reactive management” to “preemptive prevention and early intervention”

(July 9, 2026, ACRC)

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Jung Il-yeon) co-hosted the “2026 Korean Association for Conflict Studies Summer Academic Conference” on July 9 at the Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH) in Naju, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Self-Governing City, to discuss a government-wide paradigm shift for resolving collective petitions.

The conference was organized by the Korean Association for Conflict Studies, co-hosted by the Association, the ACRC, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), among others. Held under the theme “Energy Governance and Regional Coexistence in the Age of AI and Energy Transition: Power Grid Conflicts and Social Consensus,” the event brought together 150 participants from academia, relevant ministries, and conflict-management experts.

The conference was organized to seek preemptive solutions to the social conflict due to the expansion of the artificial intelligence industry and the transformation of advanced industrial structures. Since the industrial changes require a surge in electricity demand, newly constructed power transmission and transformation facilities and power generation facilities often lead to resident opposition and social conflict.

The ACRC jointly held a dedicated session titled “Resolving Collective Petitions and Institutionalizing Social Mediation.” The session featured in-depth discussion of ways to institutionalize a shift from conflict management centered on reactive management toward preemptive prevention and early intervention.

The first presentation introduced a new, multifaceted approach — drawing an analogy to the structure of HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) semiconductors — for addressing multilayered collective conflicts with overlapping interests through negotiation, bargaining, and mediation. It also highlighted the need to introduce a “government-wide joint responsibility structure,” which enables early intervention of relevant agencies when collective conflict is anticipated, to minimize the overall cost to society.

The second presentation contributed to strengthening conflict-management capacity, by sharing research on conflict type analysis and the effectiveness of mediation, drawn from the ACRC’s various collective petition mediation cases.

In addition, a special comprehensive panel discussion in the afternoon brought together experts from relevant agencies — including the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and KEPCO — as well as environmental groups, discussing practical and mutually beneficial approaches to resolve conflicts over power grid expansion.

In a written congratulatory address, Chairperson Jung stated, “The ACRC is responsibly leading mediation that reconciles complex interests so that all stakeholders can benefit, through the Collective Conflict Mediation Bureau established earlier this year.” He added, “I hope this conference will serve as an opportunity for the expertise of academia and the experience of practitioners to converge closely, helping our society advance toward a more mature, trust-based society.”