"Request for Authority to Lift Development Restriction Zones"... Proposals from Mayors of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam

Full Lift or Transfer of Lift Authority Requested

Total Volume Expansion, Lift and Activity Permit Relaxation Needed

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Metropolitan leaders of the southeastern region have demanded that the government grant them the authority to lift restrictions on development-restricted zones.

Ulsan City, Busan City, and Gyeongnam Province announced on the 20th that they held a “Joint Petition Signing and Announcement for the Improvement of the Development-Restricted Zone System” event at 10 a.m. on the 20th at the Tongyeong International Music Hall in Gyeongnam.

At the event, Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, and Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su attended and signed the joint petition for the improvement of the development-restricted zone system prepared together by Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongnam.

In the joint petition, they stated that Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongnam propose either a full lifting of development-restricted zones or a complete transfer of the authority to lift restrictions to local governments in order to support the national balanced development responding to the “local era,” a national agenda, the survival of local areas, and the concentration in the metropolitan area.

They also argued that development-restricted zones cause geographical disconnection in urban areas and accelerate abnormal urban growth, thus necessitating a full lifting of these zones.

They requested that the authority to lift development-restricted zones, currently maintained by the central government, be fully transferred to local governments that have the capacity to manage it efficiently.

If a full lifting or complete transfer of authority is difficult at present, they proposed expanding the total amount of development-restricted zone lifting and significantly relaxing the standards for lifting restrictions and activity permits.

They lamented that due to the shortage of the total amount of development-restricted zone lifting, it is difficult to create new growth hubs that drive urban construction linked to national projects and balanced national development.

They demanded an additional expansion of the total amount of development-restricted zone lifting to enable systematic and planned urban development (Busan 31㎢, Ulsan 25㎢, Gyeongnam 25㎢).

They also argued that under the current environmental evaluation grading system, which was established over 20 years ago, it is impossible to find developable land, so the environmental evaluation grades should be readjusted or the lifting criteria significantly relaxed.

Furthermore, they requested that the lifting criteria be revised to ensure that small settlements are not neglected and that standards for activity permits, which hinder improvements in farming environments, be adjusted to fit local conditions.

Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongnam plan to establish and implement systematic management measures such as re-investigation of environmental evaluations, selective conservation management, strengthening the public nature of development projects, and designation of alternative sites if the central government’s authority over development-restricted zones is transferred.

The joint petition, improvement tasks, and management plan report announced on this day will be submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport by February to request reflection in the improvement of development-restricted zone regulations.

Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom said, “We expect proactive cooperation from the central government so that the practical transfer of authority to lift development-restricted zones to local governments can be realized.”

The scene of the 4th practical meeting on the improvement of the development restriction zone system in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam.

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