"No Public Deliberation Process"‥Kim Jin-tae Opposes 'Gangwon Provincial Office Camp Page Relocation'

"Not a Decision to Make for Political Standing Ahead of Elections"
"Must Look a Hundred Years Ahead..." Diversifying Candidate Site Reviews and Proposing Measures

Kim Jin-tae, Chairman of the Chuncheon Gap Party Committee (third from the left), and prospective candidates for the Chuncheon mayor from the People Power Party held a press conference in front of Gangwon Provincial Office on the 21st to oppose and explain the reasons against relocating the Gangwon Provincial Office Camp Page. [People Power Party Chuncheon City Party]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Amid ongoing controversy over the plan to build the Gangwon Provincial Government Office on the site of the former U.S. military base Camp Page in Chuncheon, Kim Jin-tae, chairman of the People Power Party's 'Lee Jae-myung Corruption National Verification Special Committee' and head of the Chuncheon Gap Party Committee, expressed opposition to relocating Camp Page, stating, "This is not a decision to be made for political positioning ahead of the election."

On the 21st, Chairman Kim held a press conference in front of the Gangwon Provincial Government Office and criticized, "The current building, which is 64 years old and received a safety diagnosis grade of D, led to the proposal to move the provincial office to another city or county, but ultimately it was a matter of new construction. During Choi Moon-soon's 10 years in office, indecisiveness and lack of conviction have brought us to this point."

He continued, "Chuncheon Mayor Lee Jae-su recently responded at the city council that the decision to relocate the provincial office to Camp Page was made out of concern for inter-city competition, implying locations other than Chuncheon. This is not something the Chuncheon mayor should say and is an act that disregards the pride of Chuncheon citizens," expressing strong regret.

Regarding Mayor Lee Jae-su's pledge to turn Camp Page into a park, he sharply criticized, "Although there was an agreement to make Camp Page a citizen's park, suddenly proposing to move the provincial office there at the suggestion of a local district lawmaker means the Chuncheon mayor, who said citizens are the owners, abandoned his pledge ahead of the (next year's local elections) nomination."

In particular, he raised the issue again, saying, "The public opinion survey asking to choose between the current government office location and Camp Page was conducted after Gangwon Province and Chuncheon City agreed to relocate to Camp Page, making it appear in media reports as if there was consensus. There was no resident public discussion process."

Chairman Kim also expressed concern, saying, "With Legoland scheduled to open in Hajeongdo next year, attracting the provincial office nearby will turn the area into a traffic nightmare," and added, "The citizens who dreamed of a world-class attraction will see their expectations collapse instantly due to chronic protests and demonstrations in front of the provincial office throughout the year."

However, he emphasized, "The issue of where to relocate the Gangwon Provincial Government Office must be considered with a hundred-year perspective, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that can enhance accessibility for all Gangwon residents and drive urban development in Chuncheon."

He then proposed alternatives such as Wudu-dong in Chuncheon, where there was a plan to build a new administrative complex town, the Sinbuk area, and Dongnae-myeon, where new town development was planned.

He concluded, "Let us not turn Camp Page, the land of opportunity gifted to Chuncheon citizens, into a land of conflict and dispute any longer," and stated, "If the People Power Party regains the Gangwon governor and Chuncheon mayor positions next year, we will reexamine everything from the beginning."

Meanwhile, earlier, Gangwon Province and Chuncheon City agreed to proceed with discussions to exchange the current provincial government site with the Camp Page site through working-level consultations.

Chuncheon Mayor Lee Jae-su accepted the proposal to build a new provincial government office within Camp Page, suggested last month by Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Young (Chuncheon). In response, Gangwon Province stated, "We plan to actively review Chuncheon City's proposal" and began internal evaluations.

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