Gyeonggi Province to Hold Forum on Revitalizing Development of Returned U.S. Military Bases at National Assembly on the 25th

Development of Returned U.S. Military Base Areas to Repay 70 Years of Sacrifice
National Assembly Forum Led by Gyeonggi Province
Co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province and Eight National Assembly Members
Exploring Gyeonggi Province's Leading Solutions for Returned Base Area Issues

A forum for public discussion aimed at developing returned U.S. military bases into future growth engines for South Korea will be held at the National Assembly.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

On August 21, Gyeonggi Province announced that it will host the "National Assembly Forum on Revitalizing Development in Returned U.S. Military Base Areas" at the small auditorium of the National Assembly Library at 10 a.m. on August 25. The event will be attended by Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dongyeon, members of the National Assembly, private sector experts, and public officials.

Since the return of U.S. military bases began over 20 years ago, Gyeonggi Province has been promoting revitalization of development in these areas based on three main principles: initiative, progressiveness, and a local-centered approach. This is to address issues of delayed returns and development restrictions that have left the region marginalized. Recently, a dedicated task force for revitalizing development in returned base areas was established, and the first meeting was held on August 14, marking the start of full-scale discussions.

This forum has been organized to enable Gyeonggi Province, the central government, and local governments to collaborate in seeking policy and financial solutions to the issues surrounding returned U.S. military base areas. To highlight the need for legal system improvements related to the development of these areas, eight National Assembly members representing the relevant regions-Choo Mi-ae, Yoon Hu-duk, Kim Sung-won, Park Jung, Song Ok-joo, Jeon Yong-gi, Park Ji-hye, and Lee Jae-gang-will co-host the event.

At the forum, So Sungkyu, Vice President of Daejin University, will present "Development Strategies for Northern Gyeonggi through Returned U.S. Military Bases," and Park Soyoung, Research Fellow at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, will present "Legal and Institutional Improvements for Revitalizing Returned U.S. Military Base Areas." These presentations will be followed by a panel discussion.

The panel discussion will be chaired by Kim Sangbong, Professor at Korea University, with panelists including Baek Inkil, Professor at Daejin University; Jang Yunbae, Senior Research Fellow at Gyeonggi Research Institute; Jung Yunseon, Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade; and Kang Hangu, Director at the Legislative Policy Research Institute.

At a Gyeonggi Province policy meeting on August 5, Governor Kim Dongyeon emphasized the need for a transformative approach to the development of returned U.S. military base areas, stating, "We must create an opportunity to completely change the landscape." He added, "As the President has said, 'special compensation for special sacrifice' must be realized, and Gyeonggi Province should take the lead in playing a greater role."

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