Changwon Special City Requests "Stop Construction at Palyongsan US Military Shooting Range"

Sent to the Ministry of National Defense, Prioritizing Citizen Safety and Property Rights Protection

"Changwon City has the duty to protect the safety of its citizens by reflecting their voices."

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam urged the suspension of construction work at the US military rifle-only shooting range on Palyongsan in Uichang-gu to protect citizens who are anxious about the news of the construction.

According to Changwon City, the shooting range is being built on the mid-slope of the mountain with a maximum area of 15,000㎡ and is scheduled to be completed in two years.

The shooting range was established on land granted to the US military in 1972 under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and is currently undergoing expansion through facility improvement projects.

The Ministry of National Defense and the US Forces Korea are known not to have shared the construction project details, post-completion operation plans, or shooting frequency with local governments, citing domestic law non-application under SOFA and military confidentiality.

Changwon Special City Hall, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The city announced that it sent a formal letter of recommendation regarding the matter to the Ministry of National Defense on the morning of the 4th.

Through the letter, Changwon City stated, "There is a flood of complaints from 1.03 million Changwon citizens and 100,000 residents near the shooting range who are concerned about safety and noise issues."

The city reported that nearby residents are raising their voices with statements such as "We cannot live in a gun zone," "Stop the expansion construction of the shooting range that threatens citizen safety and property rights," and "Immediately halt the opaque construction."

"When the shooting range was established in 1972, Changwon was not yet a planned city, and there were almost no residents near the mountain. However, currently, within 1.5 km of the site, there are over 4,500 apartment units, shopping facilities, hospitals, and industrial complexes densely populated by about 100,000 citizens," the city explained.

It added that the shortest distance to a large apartment complex is within 1 km.

The city emphasized, "Once the US military shooting range improvement project is completed, not only will noise damage occur, but the shooting range will be visible at a glance from apartment balconies, raising security concerns," and "Demands for relocating the shooting range will further spread due to citizen safety issues."

To address citizen concerns such as safety and property rights protection, the city requested ▲priority suspension of construction ▲on-site investigation and residents’ briefing sessions led by the Ministry of National Defense with our city’s participation ▲and consideration of relocating the shooting range to fundamentally resolve the problem.

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