"Air Force Accidental Bombing Incident: Time for the Government to Respond" Pocheon Citizen Grand Debate Held

by Lee jonggu

Published 29 Apr.2025 14:47(KST)

Updated 29 Apr.2025 17:15(KST)

On April 29, Pocheon City held the "Pocheon Citizen Grand Debate" at the Pocheon Business Center to discuss follow-up measures for the Air Force fighter jet accidental bombing incident and to gather citizens' opinions.

Pocheon City is holding the "Pocheon Citizen Grand Debate" on the 29th at the Pocheon Business Center to discuss follow-up measures for the Air Force fighter jet accidental bombing incident and to gather citizens' opinions. Photo by Pocheon City

This grand debate was organized following the "Pocheon Citizens' General Rally Condemning the Accidental Bombing Incident." Its purpose was to seek urgent solutions for civil complaints, such as establishing measures to prevent a recurrence of the incident and providing compensation for damages.

The event was attended by Pocheon Mayor Baek Younghyeon, National Assembly member Kim Yongtae, Pocheon City Council Chairperson Lim Jonghun, as well as city and provincial council members, Lee Soongu, Director of Emergency Planning for Gyeonggi Province, military officials, Kang Taeil, Chairperson of the Pan-Citizen Countermeasures Committee for Military-Related Facilities such as the Pocheon Shooting Range, and approximately 200 residents from affected areas.

The debate session lasted about 90 minutes and included the following segments: screening of a video related to the Air Force fighter jet accidental bombing incident; a keynote speech by Pocheon Mayor Baek Younghyeon; a briefing by National Assembly member Kim Yongtae on the progress of special legislation in the National Assembly; presentations by relevant experts; and an open discussion with citizens.

In his keynote speech, Mayor Baek Younghyeon explained the current status of the response to the Air Force fighter jet accidental bombing incident and stated, "In consultation with central government ministries and Gyeonggi Province, we have allocated a budget of approximately 57.9 billion KRW for damage restoration and additional support, and have submitted this proposal to the government."

He went on to emphasize, "The government must now respond to these repeated military accidents." Mayor Baek called for strong measures to prevent recurrence and proposed the following future development policies for Pocheon: swift enactment of a special law at the government level; exclusion of Pocheon, a region of concern for population decline, from the Seoul metropolitan area; promotion of national high-tech strategic industries based on drones; attraction of international defense industry exhibitions; and measures to increase local residents' income by utilizing idle military land.