Paju City and Military Units Achieve Win-Win Results: Regulations Eased Over an Area Equivalent to 915 Soccer Fields

Paju City Achieves Unprecedented Results in Easing Military Regulations

Record-High 94% Consent Rate in Military Consultations

Major Regulatory Relief Through Consecutive Agreements with 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province is focusing its administrative efforts on easing military regulations through close cooperation with military units, achieving tangible results. The city has recently achieved the largest-ever record of agreements with local military units, accelerating the removal of long-standing obstacles to regional development.

Panoramic View of Paju City Hall. Provided by Paju City.

In January 2026, Paju City signed an administrative delegation memorandum of agreement with the 25th Infantry Division, covering a military facility protection zone equivalent to 215 soccer fields (1.5㎢). Previously, in October 2024, the city finalized an administrative delegation for an area equivalent to approximately 700 soccer fields (5.05㎢) with the 9th Infantry Division, marking the largest regulatory easing achievement in the past five years.

"Administrative delegation" is a system whereby, for the construction or expansion of buildings within military facility protection zones, the local government can directly handle permits without consulting the military unit. As a result of this measure, permit processing times in areas such as Ungdam-ri in Beobwon-eup and the Paju Contents World Industrial Complex in Papyeong-myeon are expected to be significantly shortened, contributing to local economic revitalization.

The city's efforts to alleviate inconveniences for citizens caused by military facility protection zones are also proven by the numbers. According to the city, the rate of military operational review “consent” (including conditional consent), a key step in the permitting process, reached 94% in 2025, the highest level ever recorded.

Looking at annual figures, the consent rate was 80% in 2022, 82% in 2023, 93% in 2024, and 94% in 2025, showing an increase over the past two years. This result is attributed to Paju City's proactive administration, including operating constant communication channels with the responsible divisions and preemptively proposing alternatives within the scope of no operational impact.

This change was also aided by a forward-thinking attitude within the military units. A military official stated, "Recently, cooperation among civilians, government, and the military has become a very important issue of our time," adding, "From now on, civil-military communication will be approached not just as a tactical matter, but as a broader and more strategic issue."

Going forward, the city plans to continue recommending to the Ministry of National Defense the full removal of military facility controlled protection zones, while steadily expanding the scope of administrative delegation areas to further facilitate citizens' exercise of property rights.

Ji-Young Park, Head of Urban Planning at Paju City, emphasized, "A military operational review consent rate exceeding 90% is evidence that Paju City and the military are building a strong partnership based on mutual trust," and added, "We will continue to ease unreasonable regulations and work closely with the military to create a 'Citizen-Centered! Greater Paju!'"

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