Paju City Mobilizes All Efforts to Attract the "Peace Economic Special Zone"... "Will Prove to Be the Most Prepared City"

"Paju, the Engine of a Self-Sustaining City of One Million"
Application Submitted for Gyeonggi Province's Peace Economic Special Zone Bid
From Establishing a Dedicated Team to Declaring Its Vision
Fully Prepared to Attract the Peace Economic Special Zone

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province is making an all-out effort to prepare for the bid to become a candidate site for the Peace Economic Special Zone (hereafter referred to as the "Peace Economic Special Zone") currently being promoted by Gyeonggi Province.

Paju City Hall exterior. Provided by Paju City

In June 2023, immediately after the enactment of the "Act on the Designation and Operation of the Peace Economic Special Zone," the city responded swiftly by establishing a dedicated team for the Peace Economic Special Zone in July of the same year. Since then, Paju has systematically continued its preparations by proactively conducting a research project to conceptualize the Peace Economic Special Zone, and developing its own proposal for the zone’s development.

In addition, the city has formed and operated the "Citizen Initiative for Attracting the Peace Economic Special Zone," simultaneously working to expand public consensus and propose relevant policies. In January of this year, Paju held the "Peace Economic Special Zone Vision Declaration Ceremony," clearly expressing the strong determination of the local community to attract the special zone to Paju, both domestically and internationally.

Paju City plans to actively highlight its competitiveness as the "most prepared city" in this bid, based on the proactive establishment of its organization, strategy, and citizen participation foundation.

Paju City also boasts clear geographical and industrial strengths. It is recognized as a symbol of peace, housing the Inter-Korean Transit Office, Panmunjom, and Daeseong-dong Village. As a border region adjacent to the Kaesong Industrial Complex, it is evaluated as the optimal location to serve as a gateway for the resumption of inter-Korean economic cooperation.

Furthermore, an advanced industrial cluster centered around LG Display has been formed, raising the potential for integrated development with high value-added industries such as semiconductors, displays, and advanced manufacturing. The city’s excellent transportation network—including Tongil-ro, Jayu-ro, Seoul-Munsan Expressway, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, and GTX-A—also ensures outstanding accessibility to Seoul and the entire metropolitan area.

In addition, abundant tourism infrastructure such as Imjingak Tourist Site, Unification Hill Tourism Special Zone, and DMZ Peace Tourism resources provide a foundation for the creation of a complex special zone that integrates industrial, tourism, and urban functions.

The city plans to enhance the completeness of its application for this bid by comprehensively including its achievements to date, its own development proposal, the current status of industrial and tourism infrastructure, step-by-step development strategies, and expected benefits. In particular, Paju intends to focus on proposing actionable strategies that can turn its unique geographical characteristics into growth drivers, as well as presenting a differentiated development model unique to the city.

A Paju City official stated, "The Peace Economic Special Zone is the key to inter-Korean economic cooperation and the future growth engine for Paju, a self-sustaining city of one million residents. Based on the results of our steady preparations and Paju’s strengths, we will fully demonstrate our competitiveness in Gyeonggi Province’s site selection process."

The official added, "We will overcome the overlapping regulations imposed due to being both part of the metropolitan area and a border region through the Peace Economic Special Zone, and realize Paju as Korea’s leading model for a Peace Economic Special Zone where advanced industries and peace coexist."

Meanwhile, the Peace Economic Special Zone is a special zone designated to promote complex development projects—such as industry, tourism, and urban development—in border regions, and various support measures such as tax benefits and infrastructure support are provided. The Ministry of Unification plans to designate around four such zones between 2026 and 2027. Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province also plans to select four candidate sites by early April to establish its development plan.

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