Gangwon-do Lifts Forest Regulations... Governor Kim Exercises Autonomous Province Authority for the Second Time

On the 23rd, Goseong Tongiljeonmangdae Designated as the Nation's First 'Forest Utilization Promotion Zone'
Development within the 7-Year Delayed Civilian Control Line Resumes... "Continued Efforts to Ease Forest Regulations"

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on the 23rd that it held the Future Industry Global City Comprehensive Plan Deliberation Committee (Chairman Governor Kim Jin-tae) and designated Goseong Unification Observatory as the nation’s first “Forest Utilization Promotion Zone,” a key element of the Gangwon Special Act’s forest special provisions.

A view of the Gangwon Provincial Government Office. Photo by Gangwon Provincial Government Office

The Forest Utilization Promotion Zone is an area where the relaxation of regulations and lifting of activity restrictions stipulated in the Mountainous Area Management Act, Civilian Control Line Mountainous Area Act, Baekdudaegan Act, and others are applied collectively. With this designation, the Goseong Unification Observatory project, which had been delayed within the Civilian Control Line, has been given a chance to restart. Gangwon Province expects this to contribute to revitalizing the regional economy in the border area.

The Goseong Unification Observatory Forest Utilization Promotion Zone in Gangwon Province had experienced a seven-year delay in project advancement due to activity regulations and administrative procedure complexities under the Civilian Control Line Mountainous Area Act.

With the relaxation of regulations through this Forest Utilization Promotion Zone designation, Gangwon Province plans to invest 24.5 billion KRW to develop the DMZ Forest Ecological Zone and Security Education Zone at the Unification Observatory, expanding experiential facilities that integrate forest and coastal landscapes with security. This is expected to significantly strengthen the forest tourism infrastructure in northeastern Gangwon and provide tangible benefits to both local residents and visitors. Additionally, Gangwon Province plans to ensure the protection of private property rights for privately owned land included in this agenda to promote policies that harmonize with and protect residents’ rights.

Gangwon Province intends to systematically support and implement multifaceted revitalization measures so that more areas can benefit from the Forest Utilization Promotion Zone designation. According to demand surveys conducted so far in cities and counties within Gangwon, 20 sites (7 short-term and 13 mid-term) have been identified as candidates for the Forest Utilization Promotion Zone.

To facilitate early establishment of the system and attract investment, Gangwon Province will provide customized consulting for project implementers, hold briefing sessions, operate permit and approval working-level councils, and actively strengthen various promotional activities and administrative support.

Furthermore, to effectively advance projects, additional regulations will be identified and the system will be supplemented. Concurrently, the special provisions of the Gangwon Special Act and amendments to individual laws will be pursued to overcome the limitations of existing systems.

Kim Jin-tae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, stated, “This is the second substantive exercise of authority by the Deliberation Committee since Gangwon became a Special Self-Governing Province,” adding, “Among the four major regulations in the Gangwon region, forest regulations cover the largest area, and I hope today marks a stepping stone for the relaxation of forest regulations.”

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