'Yeouido Area 2.8 Times Larger' Gyeonggi-do Lifts 'Military Facility Protection Zone' Restrictions

Gyeonggi-do Accounts for 63% of National Total Area... Ministry of National Defense Electronic Gazette Notice on the 17th

Reference photo [Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] Military facility protection zones totaling 8.1 million square meters in Gyeonggi Province, equivalent to 2.8 times the area of Yeouido (approximately 2.9 million square meters), have been lifted or eased.

According to the province on the 14th, the military facility protection zones to be lifted or eased within the province include 7.86 million square meters of restricted protection zones and 240,000 square meters of controlled protection zones. This accounts for about 63% of the nationwide total area of 12.75 million square meters of military facility protection zones that have been lifted or eased.

As a result, 250,000 square meters in the Tongjin-eup area of Gimpo, 4.98 million square meters in the Paju-eup, Munsan-eup, Beopwon-eup, and Gwangtan-myeon areas of Paju, and 2.63 million square meters in the Ilsandong-gu and Deogyang-gu areas of Goyang have been lifted from restricted protection zones, allowing various developments such as construction activities without prior consultation with military authorities.

Additionally, 30,000 square meters in the Gwangjeok-myeon area of Yangju, 190,000 square meters in the Namhansanseong-myeon area of Gwangju, and 20,000 square meters in the Jungwon-gu area of Seongnam, which were previously controlled protection zones where new construction or expansion was impossible, have been eased to restricted protection zones, enabling various development activities after consultation with military units.

Residents around military facility protection zones have suffered inconvenience and hardship due to restrictions on property rights, noise and vibrations from shooting ranges, and unidentified landmines, which have posed threats to their safety and hindered regional development.

In the case of Gyeonggi Province, as of the end of last year, approximately 2.25945 billion square meters, or about 22% of the total area, were designated as controlled and restricted protection zones, and separately, 749.32 million square meters were designated as flight safety zones.

The controlled and restricted protection zones in Gyeonggi Province rank second nationwide after Gangwon Province. The flight safety zones are the largest nationwide, causing significant tangible and intangible damage due to the designation of military facility protection zones.

Lee Soon-gu, Emergency Planning Officer of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We welcome the Ministry of National Defense's announcement regarding the lifting and easing of military facility protection zones. We expect it will greatly help alleviate the inconveniences of residents who have endured special sacrifices for national security and contribute to the development of the underdeveloped local economy."

Meanwhile, the details of this lifting and easing of military facility protection zones are scheduled to be officially announced in the government electronic gazette on the 17th.

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