Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police to Conduct 'Intensive Crackdown' on Illegal Activities in Development-Restricted Zones Starting Next Month on the 1st

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will conduct a focused crackdown on illegal activities within the Greenbelt areas.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 27th that from the 1st to the 12th of next month, they will carry out a focused crackdown on illegal activities such as unauthorized construction and illegal changes in use or terrain within the Greenbelt areas in the province.

As of the end of December last year, the Greenbelt area in the province covers 1,165㎢ across 21 cities and counties, accounting for 30.3% of the nationwide Greenbelt area (3,846㎢).

Illegal activities within the Greenbelt areas have been increasing annually over the past three years, with 2,016 cases in 2017, 2,316 cases in 2018, and 3,629 cases in 2019. On the other hand, the rate of administrative measures such as correction orders and enforcement fines (including completed actions and detections) has been continuously decreasing, with 79% in 2017, 68% in 2018, and 57% last year.

Accordingly, the Special Judicial Police will actively detect illegal activities through this focused investigation and take strong measures such as criminal punishment against the offenders.

The main investigation items include ▲ constructing unauthorized buildings or installing structures ▲ illegally changing the use of facilities related to animals and plants or agricultural and fishery product storage facilities into logistics warehouses, factories, etc. ▲ creating illegal parking lots and unauthorized terrain changes ▲ unauthorized storage of goods.

Under the current "Special Act on the Designation and Management of Greenbelt Areas," those who illegally change the use or terrain of buildings within the Greenbelt areas for profit or habitually face imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.

Inchi Kwon, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police, emphasized, "Since last year, Gyeonggi Province has been conducting focused investigations on illegal activities in the Greenbelt areas to eradicate unfair practices. This year, we plan to expand the investigation targets throughout the province and strongly respond to illegal activities aimed at unfairly gaining private interests."

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