Ruling Party and Government Lift Military Protection Zone Status from Area 26.6 Times Yeouido... Comprehensive Survey South of the Seoul Metropolitan Area (Summary)

Gangwon-do 79%, Gyeonggi-do 19%
Earlier in 2018, the ruling party and government eased regulations on an area 116 times the size of Yeouido

On the 9th, at the 'Military Facility Protection Zone Release and Relaxation Party-Government Consultation' held at the National Assembly, key attendees including Lee In-young, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Cho Jung-sik, chairman of the Policy Planning Committee, Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Jeong Kyeong-doo, Minister of National Defense, posed for a photo before the meeting began. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The Democratic Party of Korea and the Ministry of National Defense have decided to lift military protection facility zones covering an area 26.6 times the size of Yeouido. Previously, the lifting of military facility protection zones was pursued only in border areas, but starting this year, a full survey of areas south of the Seoul metropolitan area will be conducted to include them in the additional deregulation targets.

On the morning of the 9th, after the 'Military Facility Protection Zone Lifting and Relaxation Party-Government' meeting held at the National Assembly, Cho Jung-sik, the Democratic Party Policy Committee Chair, said in a briefing, "The party and government share the recognition that residents and local governments have been experiencing many inconveniences related to military facility protection zones," adding, "We have decided to lift the zones in 14 areas covering 77.1㎢ where there are no operational restrictions." Of the military facility protection zones to be lifted this time, 79% are in Gangwon Province, 19% in Gyeonggi Province, and areas including Incheon Metropolitan City, Chungju in North Chungcheong Province, and Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province are also included.

Chair Cho said, "The controlled protection zone of 49,803 m² will be relaxed to a restricted protection zone," adding, "While new construction was practically prohibited in the controlled protection zone, relaxing it to a restricted protection zone will allow construction with military consultation."

For areas where lifting or relaxation of military facility protection zones is not immediately possible, development consultation tasks have been entrusted to local governments to improve convenience for residents.

Chair Cho said, "For restricted areas where lifting of military protection zones required military consultation, the consultation tasks will be additionally entrusted to local governments," adding, "This is expected to resolve procedural inconveniences for citizens." The targeted areas include Ganghwa in Incheon, Yeoncheon, Uijeongbu, and Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province, and Yanggu, Goseong, and Inje in Gangwon Province.

He also said, "Regarding the adjustment of the Civilian Control Line requested by local governments, measures will be prepared through discussions with related agencies," adding, "For Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province and Hwacheon and Goseong counties in Gangwon Province, the Civilian Control Line will be adjusted to improve access conditions for local farmers and external tourists, supporting economic revitalization in border areas."

Chair Cho said, "The party and government will continue to promote deregulation of military facility protection zones," adding, "Starting this year, a full survey of military facility protection zones in areas south of the Seoul metropolitan area will be conducted to pursue additional deregulation."

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, who attended the party-government meeting that day, said, "With the advancement of science and technology, many conditions and social phenomena related to operational execution have changed," adding, "Considering all factors, we are actively promoting deregulation in areas that do not affect operational execution and can guarantee the convenience of the people, making great efforts to protect citizens' property rights."

He continued, "Although we have not yet fully satisfied all the demands, we ask for understanding as we are approaching the people in a progressive manner," adding, "We will proactively review many issues discussed here and strive to become a Ministry of National Defense trusted by the people."

Meanwhile, as part of Defense Reform 2.0, the party and government have been promoting the lifting of military facility protection zones. In the party-government meeting in December 2018, it was decided to lift protection zones covering 336.99 million square meters, equivalent to 116 times the size of Yeouido. In the 2017 party-government meeting, 37.1㎢ (12.8 times the size of Yeouido) was lifted from military facility protection zones. Within military facility protection zones, development activities such as new construction or expansion of buildings are restricted. To develop, consultation with military authorities (legal deadline of 30 days) is required, but if lifted from the protection zone, such restrictions disappear.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.