[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Will the Ministry of National Defense Easily Give Up Taereung Golf Course?

The government is actively working to increase the housing supply as a follow-up to the July 10 real estate measures, and is discussing plans to build housing on the site of the Taereung Golf Course owned by the Ministry of National Defense. The photo shows the Taereung Golf Course in Nowon-gu, Seoul, on the 21st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Yang Nak-gyu, Lee Ji-eun, Kim Hye-min] Although the government has begun consultations with related agencies regarding the development of Taereung Golf Course, there are expectations that the negotiations will not be easy. If the Ministry of National Defense demands a replacement golf course for Taereung Golf Course, it will be difficult to find a suitable site, and if forced to relocate the Korea Military Academy (Kuksa), there will likely be strong opposition within the military. There are even speculations that if these issues remain unresolved and the administration changes, the Ministry of National Defense might reverse its position.

On the 22nd, a senior official from the Ministry of National Defense stated, "Although formal consultations with related agencies have not yet begun, from the Ministry’s standpoint, it can demand a replacement golf course for Taereung Golf Course and must also prepare measures regarding the relocation of the Military Academy, so prolonged negotiations may ensue."

In March 31, 2006, the Ministry of National Defense signed a basic agreement with the then Ministry of Construction and Transportation to relocate military units in Songpa, and on April 11 of the following year, announced plans to relocate seven units and Namseongdae Golf Course in Songpa by 2011. Subsequently, in 2011, under the Wirye New Town development plan, the Ministry handed over Namseongdae Golf Course in Songpa-gu, Seoul, to the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) and received Grand CC in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (now Dong Yeoju CC) as a replacement golf course.

For this reason, it is highly likely that the Ministry of National Defense will again demand a replacement golf course for Taereung Golf Course. However, if the Ministry directly pushes for the construction or acquisition of a military golf course, it could face public criticism for being out of step with public sentiment, which could be a burden.

If the issue of relocating the Military Academy surfaces alongside the Taereung Golf Course matter, opposition within the military is also a concern. The relocation of the Military Academy to a provincial area was already controversial in 2005. At that time, the government and the Uri Party discussed relocating the Military Academy as part of measures to develop the metropolitan area. The Presidential Advisory Committee on Balanced National Development requested the Ministry of National Defense to submit its position and plans regarding the relocation. However, the Army opposed, stating that "relocation to the provinces is highly unlikely and difficult to accept," leading to the plan’s collapse.

If the Ministry is forced to relocate the Military Academy without securing a replacement golf course for Taereung Golf Course, it cannot be ruled out that the Ministry might break off negotiations. Although the Ministry agreed to relocate military units in Songpa in 2006 and signed an agreement, it later expressed opposition after the administration changed to President Lee Myung-bak’s government. At that time, the Ministry stated, "We conveyed concerns from a military perspective during wartime and peacetime regarding the planned Songpa New Town development several times in meetings and working-level discussions rather than official documents to related ministries," and added, "The Ministry believed that security aspects were not sufficiently considered in the policy decision process of the relocation project."

Regarding the relocation of Namseongdae Golf Course located within the Songpa New Town site, the Ministry also opposed the move, stating, "In emergencies, it serves as a logistics base for wartime supplies and functions as an emergency runway complementing the nearby Seoul Airport," and changed its stance by saying, "It is preferable for the Special Forces to be located near Seoul Airport, which has a runway, for mission execution." This is why there are expectations that the Ministry of National Defense’s position could suddenly change if the administration changes again.

Meanwhile, the Future United Party’s Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee issued a statement on the same day urging the government to immediately stop attempts to solve the metropolitan housing supply plan through the development of the military’s Taereung Golf Course by "once again targeting the vulnerable military."

The committee pointed out, "Taereung Golf Course is the site of the Korea Military Academy, and building apartments on the golf course appears to be a political intention to relocate the Military Academy," adding, "So far, the Moon Jae-in administration has forced unilateral sacrifices in the defense sector when solving various national issues, and we urge the government to immediately stop attempts to solve problems by once again targeting the vulnerable military."

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