Kim Jaeuk, Chilgok County Governor: "Reconsidering Hosting Daegu Military Base from Scratch"... Shooting Range Site of 3.15 Million Pyeong Requested Late

Song Pilgak, Chairman of the Hosting Committee, Also Protests: "Ministry of National Defense's Trick to Abandon Hosting"

The project to relocate and integrate military bases in Daegu, once considered a "golden goose," has hit a major snag due to an additional request for a "shared firearms shooting range" that is even larger than the military base itself.

This is because the plan to relocate a "shared firearms shooting range" covering 10.43 million square meters (3.15 million pyeong), which is expected to trigger complaints from local residents, along with the Daegu military base, was revealed only recently.

Song Pilgak, former chairman of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council and chairman of the Chilgok County Daegu Military Base Attraction Promotion Committee, strongly criticized Daegu City and the Ministry of National Defense on the 7th for revealing information about the shared weapons firing range belatedly, holding a sign that read "Shared Weapons Firing Range in the Middle of the Night."

According to Chilgok County on the 8th, Daegu City and the Ministry of National Defense requested, on May 15, that local governments competing to host the base submit candidate sites for the shared firearms shooting range?separate from the 8.54 million square meters (2.59 million pyeong) military base relocation site?within just two weeks.

The five local governments, including Chilgok County in North Gyeongsang Province, that are vying to host the military base, appeared caught off guard when the candidate site for the shared firearms shooting range, which occupies a larger area than the base itself, was suddenly brought up two years after relocation discussions began.

Until now, only rosy prospects such as population growth and regional economic revitalization had been publicized regarding the relocation, but the emergence of the large-scale issue of the shared firearms shooting range has cast a shadow over the project.

Upon learning of this, civic groups in Chilgok County, which had been actively promoting the base relocation, were the first to voice their opposition.

The Chilgok County Daegu Military Base Relocation Promotion Committee criticized Daegu City and the Ministry of National Defense, demanding an official apology for the sudden change in plans and a transparent disclosure of the process.

Additionally, the issue of relocating military housing along with the shared firearms shooting range has become a hot topic.

Daegu City has announced that even if the military base is relocated, 30% of the military housing will remain in Suseong District, which is expected to diminish the anticipated population growth and economic impact of the relocation.

Song Pilgak (former Chairman of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Council), head of the Chilgok County Daegu Military Base Relocation Promotion Committee, stated, "Critical issues like the shared firearms shooting range should have been disclosed at the outset so that local governments and residents could make informed decisions about whether to pursue the project," adding, "The unilateral notification just two months before the Ministry of National Defense's operational review is a ploy to force us to give up and an abuse of power."

Song also said, "This situation is the result of Daegu City pushing ahead with the relocation without consulting the Ministry of National Defense from the beginning, and the Ministry's self-serving attempt to secure a shooting range," emphasizing, "From now on, all information related to the relocation should be transparently disclosed so that local governments and residents can make the right decision."

Kim Jaeuk, Mayor of Chilgok County, said, "In attracting the military base, the opinions of county residents will be given top priority," adding, "We plan to reexamine the relocation from scratch, including a precise analysis of both the benefits such as population growth and the costs such as the shared firearms shooting range."

Meanwhile, since 2022, Daegu City has been promoting the construction of a "military town" by relocating four military bases, including the 2nd Operations Command and the 50th Division, to other regions.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to select preliminary candidate sites in September by evaluating operational feasibility and residential environment. Based on this, Daegu City will assess acceptability and business viability, aiming to announce the final candidate site by the end of the year.