Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyun, "Creating a Civil-Military Win-Win Complex Town"... Demands Return of 6th Corps Site

Meeting with National Assembly Member Kim Ki-hyun to Convey the Necessity of Returning the 6th Corps Site

On the 31st, Baek Young-hyun, Mayor of Pocheon City, met with Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, to deliver a petition regarding the return of the 6th Corps site. [Pocheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Pocheon City in Gyeonggi Province has demanded the return of land following the disbandment of the 6th Corps by the Ministry of National Defense.

Pocheon City announced on the same day, "Mayor Baek Young-hyun met with National Assembly member Choi Chun-sik (Gyeonggi Pocheon·Gapyeong), Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly members Yoon Chung-sik and Kim Seong-nam, and Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, to deliver a petition emphasizing the necessity of returning the 6th Corps site."

The city plans to develop a "civil-military coexistence complex town," which is also a defense pledge of President Yoon Seok-yeol, on the 6th Corps site.

Located between Soheul-eup and Pocheon-dong in the city center, the 6th Corps has played a role in defending the central-western front alongside the 15th Aviation Brigade for over 70 years since its establishment, but it has also been identified as an obstacle to Pocheon's development.

Pocheon is the only city nationwide hosting two corps, and it houses Asia's largest Seungjin Scientific Training Center used by the Korean military and the country's largest US military-exclusive Yeongpyeong firing range.

The city anticipated the return of the land following the disbandment of the 6th Corps, but the Ministry of National Defense plans to relocate other units to the 6th Corps site for continued use.

In response, the city opposed this, stating it is "an action that disregards the hardships of Pocheon citizens who have endured for over 70 years with patriotism prioritizing national security."

Mayor Baek said, "The importance of national security for the Republic of Korea, the world's only divided country, cannot be compared to anything else," but also pointed out, "The Seungjin Scientific Training Center, a testing ground for the latest weapons for K-defense exports, is also located in Pocheon."

He added, "Although it has greatly contributed to the national economy, the local residents have only suffered from noise, vibrations, and stray bullets, making their sacrifices greater and more special than any other local government."

He further emphasized, "Special consideration at the national level is necessary for the region that has played a core role in national security," and added, "The 6th Corps site should be returned to the citizens of Pocheon, and a civil-military coexistence complex town, a presidential campaign pledge, should be developed to integrate the scattered military facilities."

Following a meeting with Ministry of National Defense officials on the 19th, Mayor Baek plans to continue efforts for the return of the 6th Corps site by holding a coexistence council with the Ministry of National Defense on the 15th of next month.

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