Earlier in 2018, the ruling party and government eased regulations on an area 116 times the size of Yeouido
[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The Democratic Party of Korea and the Ministry of National Defense are discussing further relaxation of military facility protection zones. As part of Defense Reform 2.0, the ruling party and government have been promoting the lifting of military facility protection zones, and in the party-government consultation held in December 2018, they decided to ease protection zones covering 336.99 million square meters, equivalent to 116 times the area of Yeouido.
On the morning of the 9th, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du attended the Democratic Party-Ministry of National Defense consultation on lifting and relaxing military facility protection zones held at the National Assembly, stating, "The Ministry of National Defense is making great efforts to actively promote the defense reform task of creating military facilities that coexist with local communities."
Minister Jeong emphasized, "With the advancement of science and technology, many conditions and social phenomena related to mission execution have changed. Considering all factors, we are actively promoting relaxation in areas that do not significantly affect mission execution but can guarantee the convenience of the people, making great efforts to protect the property rights of citizens."
He continued, "Although we have not yet fully satisfied all the demands, we ask for your understanding as we are approaching the public in a progressive and continuous manner. We will proactively review many issues discussed here and strive to become a Ministry of National Defense trusted by the people."
Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, said, "Military regulations for national security are inevitable, but it is necessary to minimize sacrifices. I hope that many military-related issues in overlapping regulation areas in northern Gyeonggi will be resolved."
Jung Man-ho, Deputy Governor for Economy of Gangwon Province, stated, "Gangwon Province, the only divided province in the world, has been excluded from development because it cannot use intact land. We hope regulations will be boldly eased from the perspective of residents' right to survival."
Lee In-young, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said, "The Moon Jae-in administration lifted military protection zones equivalent to 145 times the area of Yeouido as part of Defense Reform 2.0 until last year. Today’s party-government consultation aims to review additional relaxation measures." Cho Jeong-sik, chairman of the Democratic Party Policy Committee, said, "At today’s consultation, we will discuss additional measures to relax military protection zones and continue to promote party-government cooperation on this issue."
Meanwhile, within military facility protection zones, development activities such as new construction or expansion of buildings are restricted. To develop, consultation with military authorities (legal deadline of 30 days) is required, but if the area is lifted from protection zones, such restrictions disappear.
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