Gangwon-do Confirms 'Chuncheon Camp Page' as Site for New Government Office Building

Construction Start in January 2025, Completion Targeted for June 2027

(Photo from left) Heo Young, Democratic Party member of the National Assembly, Choi Moon-soon, Governor, and Lee Jae-su, Mayor of Chuncheon, held a press conference on the afternoon of the 4th at the small conference room of the new government office building and announced the final decision to select Chuncheon Camp Page as the site for the new government office building. [Gangwon-do]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-chul] Gangwon Province announced on the 4th that "after thoroughly reviewing various plans for the new provincial office building, the 'Camp Page site' proposed by Chuncheon City has been finally confirmed as the site for the new provincial office building."

The province explained the reason for selecting the Camp Page site as the new provincial office location on the day, stating, "Compared to the current office site, it will save approximately 70 billion KRW in sunk costs and improve accessibility due to the opening of the Chuncheon-Sokcho East-West High-Speed Railway in 2027."

It further explained the symbolism of the area as a former U.S. military base aiming to become the Gangwon Peace Special Autonomous Province, and the establishment of a cultural, tourism, and administrative belt connecting Legoland, Camp Page, and the old downtown. It added, "According to a public opinion survey of Chuncheon citizens, 65.5% support relocating to Camp Page."

According to the public opinion survey conducted by Korea Information Research Co., Ltd., a professional polling agency, from December 15 to 24 last year targeting 2,261 Chuncheon citizens, 65.5% were in favor of relocating the provincial office to Camp Page, 25.2% opposed, and 9.3% were unsure.

The main reasons for support were 'cost savings on construction and relocation' at 39.3%, followed by 'accessibility to the office' at 33.2%, and 'symbolism of the provincial office' at 13.2%.

The reasons for opposition were 'concerns over reduction of the citizen park' at 36.3%, 'preference for building at the current provincial office location' at 33.3%, and 'concerns about cultural heritage' at 8.2%.

Regarding land use, 68.1% supported 'creating a historical and cultural park including restoration of Igung,' and Chuncheon City plans to review remodeling options for the current office building in connection with Bongui Mountain.

The province plans to support Chuncheon City in establishing utilization plans and to expedite administrative procedures to complete the new office building as early as possible.

In the first half of this year, basic plan establishment services, cultural heritage excavation surveys, and land exchanges will be pursued simultaneously. After design competitions and basic and detailed designs, construction is scheduled to start in January 2025 and be completed by June 2027.

Additionally, to avoid controversies related to additional land acquisition costs and development profits when including private land in the candidate site, the site has been limited to provincial-owned and national/public land.

The total project cost for the new building is estimated at 308.9 billion KRW (construction cost 269.8 billion KRW, service fees 28.4 billion KRW, incidental costs 10.7 billion KRW), and the 'Ordinance on the Establishment and Operation of the Gangwon Province New Office Building Construction Fund (draft)' will be submitted to the provincial council next month.

Accordingly, 5 billion KRW will be raised this year, and 60 billion KRW over five years starting next year to secure funding for the office building construction.

The total office area is approximately 110,000㎡, with 60,000㎡ for office space and 50,000㎡ for parking space as the basic scale, with the final size to be confirmed during the basic plan establishment within Camp Page.

The province and Chuncheon City agreed to minimize the exchange difference during land swaps by changing the land use zone within Camp Page (from natural green space to second-class general residential area), and if differences arise from appraisals of each site, they will discuss exchanging with Chuncheon City.

Governor Choi Moon-soon of Gangwon Province said, "I sincerely hope that the new provincial office will mark the end of Gangwon's divided era, become the center of peace and development, and serve as a new vessel embodying the future value of the unification era."

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