South Korea has been designing and operating multipurpose dams to address droughts lasting 1 to 2 years. Typically, a safety margin of around 20 years’ drought return period has been set to manage these situations. However, recent prolonged severe multi-year droughts have led to significant damages, including water supply disruptions in certain regions. To prepare for these severe droughts, an approach beyond the existing procedures and methodologies is needed. Developed countries, particularly in the United States, have been using the Shared Vision Planning since the late 20th century to resolve conflicts arising from water disputes. The applicability of the Shared Vision Model (SVM) has been demonstrated as an effective tool in supporting this. However, in Asian countries including South Korea, this approach has not been widely adopted, likely due to cultural differences in how governments view water resources. In South Korea, Kim et al. (2019) established a new council and formulated water supply plans based on various climate change scenarios using the SVM, focusing on the Boryeong Dam in the western sea. However, there were some limitations observed in operating the new council. Firstly, it was often influenced by political situations, and the council’s inclusion of government was weak as drought-related damages were not as pressing an issue as floods. Therefore, this study proposes the application of the SVM to the legal council responsible for establishing water allocation plans, aiming to address these limitations. The selected area for this application is the Honam region, which experienced severe drouhts from 2021 to early 2023, including the Yeongsan River and Seomjin River basins. The Yeonsan River basin primarily serves agricultural water, with a significant portion of the water transferred for public and industrial use through interbasin water transfer from the Seomjin River basin. There are two government councils involved in managing the water in the Honam region, which includes the Yeongsan River Flood Control Office (Dam Coordinated Operation Council and River Basin Adjustment Council). The Dam Coordinated Operation Council consists solely of suppliers, concluding their deliberations through pre-consultation without conflict resolution during meetings. The SVM can be effectively utilized in this pre-consultation process. Additionally, even when suppliers formulate water allocation plans among themselves, the SVM can serve as a means of conflict resolution between suppliers and users. To emphasize the applicability of these two cases, the model is being modified in collaboration with the Yeongsan River Flood Control Office, incorporating 38 supply points and 62 demand points within the basin. Model validation is based on historical data from each point. Through the SVM, real-time adjustments of inflow and supply can be made within the council, allowing for water allocation planning based on engineering analyses that satisfy the majority of council members.
