Ruling Party and Government Lift Military Protection Zone 35 Times the Size of Yeouido

87% South of the Capital Region, Including Forward Areas

Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering opening remarks at the party-government meeting on the lifting and easing of military facility protection zones held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 14th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter, Jeon Jin-young Reporter] The Democratic Party of Korea and the Ministry of National Defense have decided to lift military facility protection zones equivalent to 35 times the area of Yeouido. For areas not subject to lifting, the responsibility for consultation work will be transferred from the military to local governments to simplify construction and development procedures.

On the morning of the 14th, the party and government held a meeting at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to discuss and announce these details. The Ministry of National Defense stated that, according to the 'Establishment of Military Facilities Coexisting with Local Communities' plan, a task under Defense Reform 2.0, it will lift protection zones including controlled protection zones, restricted protection zones, and flight safety zones totaling 106,742,840㎡. This area is 34.7 times the size of Yeouido and 31% larger than the zones lifted last year.

87% of the areas to be lifted are located south of the Seoul metropolitan area, including front-line regions such as Goyang, Paju, and Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province, and Goseong and Hwacheon in Gangwon Province. The party and government also decided to include Gunsan in Jeonbuk and Nonsan in Chungnam. If the flight safety zone around Gunsan, Jeonbuk is lifted, the area of protection zones lifted south of the metropolitan area will increase nearly 70 times compared to last year (1,235,233㎡).

Controlled protection zones totaling 1,328,441㎡ in Paju, Gyeonggi; Cheorwon, Gangwon; and Taean, Chungnam have been changed to restricted protection zones, easing regulations to allow construction of new buildings upon consultation with the military. Although protection zones in Paju, Yangju, Pyeongtaek, and Jangheung-ri, Cheorwon, Gyeonggi are restricted from being lifted, consultation duties regarding construction or development below certain height limits will be handled by local governments, which is expected to alleviate procedural inconveniences.

Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated in his opening remarks at the meeting, "The border areas in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon have faced significant difficulties in revitalizing the local economy, leading to considerable conflicts between residents of protection zones and local governments," emphasizing the need for continuous easing.

Minister of National Defense Seo Wook also said, "This measure was taken after reviewing the regions and proactively identifying areas where the military operational environment has changed," adding, "We will strive to continuously develop policies and systems."

The party and government have been promoting measures to lift or ease protection zones annually for the past three years in respect of citizens' property rights. Last year, they lifted protection zones covering 77 million㎡, equivalent to 26.6 times the area of Yeouido.

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