Gyeonggi Province Launches "Legislative Promotion Support Group" for US Military Returned Land... All-Out Effort to Revitalize Development

Drafting Amendments for Legal Support Measures for Long-term Unreturned Sites
Establishing Institutional Foundations for Expanded National Financial and Development Support

On November 10, Gyeonggi Province formed and began operating the "Gyeonggi Province US Military Returned Land Legislative Promotion Support Group" at the Gyeonggi Northern Government Complex.

Gyeonggi Province formed and began operating the "Gyeonggi Province US Military Returned Land Legislative Promotion Support Group" on the 10th at the Gyeonggi Northern Government Complex. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

This initiative aims to drive fundamental policy changes and amendments to relevant laws for revitalizing the development of US military returned land, as there have been limitations to what Gyeonggi Province could achieve on its own. The Legislative Promotion Support Group consists of provincial officials, city and county representatives, and 10 professors and experts in relevant legal fields.

To date, the province has proactively pursued the three core principles of "leadership, progressiveness, and local focus" and has led four policy directions for revitalizing development in US military returned areas: financial support, regulatory easing, infrastructure expansion, and institutional improvement.

However, due to uncertainties regarding the timing of land returns and the need for substantial financial resources, there are limits to what Gyeonggi Province can do alone. For meaningful success, fundamental policy changes as well as amendments to relevant laws or the enactment of new legislation must be pursued in parallel.

In this context, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dongyeon announced the plan to form the Legislative Promotion Support Group during a site meeting on revitalizing development in US military returned areas, held on October 16 during his field visit to Dongducheon City focused on local economic issues.

The "US Military Returned Land Legislative Promotion Support Group" will establish an organic cooperation system among relevant experts and the departments in charge from the three northern Gyeonggi cities (Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, and Paju), and will develop proposals for legal and institutional improvements to be submitted to the government and the National Assembly.

The group plans to create a legal basis for providing practical compensation for long-term unreturned sites and for enabling customized development that reflects the conditions and characteristics of each region.

Regular monthly meetings and additional meetings as needed will be held to maintain an organic cooperation system, and the group will actively gather opinions from local governments and experts to proactively propose the enactment and amendment of laws and systems to the government and the National Assembly.

Kim Sangsoo, Director of the Balanced Development Planning Office of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The issue of developing US military returned areas is not simply a local matter, but one of providing special compensation to regions that have made unique sacrifices for national security over the past 70 years. Through the operation of the Legislative Promotion Support Group, we will address institutional shortcomings and create a turning point for providing practical compensation and support for long-term unreturned sites, as well as for the development of returned areas."

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