Incheon Second Medical Center to Be Built on Former Bupyeong US Military Base 'Camp Market'... Target Opening in 2029

Camp Market, Bupyeong US Military Base
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon’s Second Medical Center will be built on the site of the former Bupyeong U.S. military base, 'Camp Market.'

Incheon City announced on the 24th that it has finally selected part of Area A within Camp Market in Sangok-dong, Bupyeong-gu, as the site for the Second Medical Center, out of six candidate sites.

The candidate sites previously selected by Incheon City through a feasibility study included Unnam-dong in Jung-gu, Bullo-dong in Seo-gu, Gyulhyeon-dong in Gyeyang-gu, Sangok-dong in Bupyeong-gu, Mansu-dong in Namdong-gu, and Seonhak-dong in Yeonsu-gu.

The site selection committee for the Second Medical Center, composed of experts in medical care and urban planning, reviewed the final candidate sites focusing on accessibility and ease of development, considering that the establishment of the Second Medical Center is a preliminary feasibility study project involving national budget.

As a result, Camp Market in Bupyeong was evaluated to have a larger surrounding population and better transportation accessibility than other candidate sites, as well as higher expected effectiveness from financial investment.

Area A of Camp Market (109,000㎡), formerly a U.S. military base, was the site of a military supplies recycling center and was returned to the government by the U.S. Forces Korea in 2019. Although dioxins exceeding the standard were detected in a soil contamination survey conducted before the land was returned, recent cleanup efforts are nearly complete.

Incheon City plans to further analyze the hospital size, construction plan, and economic feasibility through the ongoing feasibility study for the establishment of the Second Medical Center. Additionally, by February next year, the city will prepare the establishment and operation plan for the Second Medical Center and submit the project proposal to the government around March.

The city is promoting the establishment of the Second Incheon Medical Center with the goal of opening in 2029 to expand public medical infrastructure.

There are eight public medical institutions in the Incheon area, including Incheon Medical Center, Incheon Red Cross Hospital, and Incheon Veterans Hospital. As of 2019, public hospital beds numbered 1,338, accounting for only 4.5% of Incheon’s total 29,890 beds. The number of public medical institution beds and doctors per 1,000 people are 0.45 beds and 0.4 doctors respectively, both the second lowest among seven metropolitan cities and provinces, following Ulsan.

An Incheon city official stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic made us realize the necessity of expanding the public medical foundation," adding, "In the absence of a national university hospital in Incheon, we will establish a public medical institution of a scale that allows all citizens to receive universal medical services."