Yongsan Park Master Plan Revised Notice... 31% of Entire Yongsan Base Returned

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Finalizes 3rd Amendment to Yongsan Park Comprehensive Basic Plan

The Yongsan Park baseball field near the presidential office was opened for public trial access on the 10th. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 10th that it has revised and promulgated the "Yongsan Park Maintenance Zone Comprehensive Basic Plan," prepared through public opinion collection, after deliberation by the Yongsan Park Development Promotion Committee.

The Yongsan Park Maintenance Zone Comprehensive Basic Plan is a plan that contains the basic concept and development direction for transforming the returned Yongsan US military base into a national park. The government first established the comprehensive basic plan for Yongsan Park in 2011, revised it for the first time in 2014, and for the second time last December, with the third revision made this time.

Since the second revision in 2021, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has held public hearings and consultations with related agencies to comprehensively reflect the increased area of partially returned land and public opinions gathered during the pilot opening in June.

The current comprehensive basic plan reflects the status of a total of 764,000㎡ of returned land, which is about 31% of the entire Yongsan base. Following the return of 165,000㎡ of office facilities and general’s quarters from the US military in February this year, the government received 368,000㎡ of hospital, accommodation, and school sites in May, and 51,000㎡ including the 'Gate 13' used for access to the Yongsan Presidential Office building and internal roads in June.

Additionally, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) was designated as the entrusted agency to ensure that a specialized public institution systematically manages the project.

Furthermore, existing buildings on the site will have utilization standards established considering structural safety, space utilization plans, and historical value, with utilization directions decided after expert consultation.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport especially prioritized public safety by conducting soil safety analyses and environmental risk mitigation measures even before contamination cleanup on the returned land.

Gil Byung-woo, head of the Yongsan Park Development Promotion Planning Team at the Ministry, said, "This revised plan reflects the opinions of the public who have actually experienced Yongsan Park, and we will continue to communicate with the public to ensure the smooth progress of the Yongsan Park development project."