Changwon Special Mayor Hong Nam-pyo Discusses Complete Lifting of Greenbelt Restrictions with Residents

Hearing Residents' Opinions in Development Restricted Areas
Sharing Progress on Full Lifting of GB Restrictions

On the morning of the 3rd, Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam held a meeting at the mayor's office to have a conversation with residents of the Green Belt area.

Hong Nampyo, Changwon Special Mayor, Holds Dialogue Session with Residents of Greenbelt Area.

This meeting was organized to listen to the voices of Green Belt residents and to share the current status of the city's ongoing efforts for the complete lifting of the Green Belt designation.

Yoo Insu, president of the Changwon Green Belt Residents' Association, who attended as the residents' representative, stated, "Changwon is the only small and medium-sized city designated as a Green Belt, and for 50 years, we have been forced to make many sacrifices due to property rights violations and activity restrictions without any compensation. To eliminate this unfair regulation, we submitted a joint petition to the Regulatory Reform Committee of the Office for Government Policy Coordination in June 2024, and we ask that Changwon City also actively pursue the complete lifting of the Green Belt designation."

Kim Youngsoo, secretary-general of the Residents' Association, added, "Restrictions without compensation are a fundamental violation of property rights, and the property rights restrictions based on 'Ministry of Construction Notice No. 258' are unconstitutional, so a revised notice for the complete lifting in Changwon should be issued."

Due to the integration of three cities in 2010, the Green Belt area in the Changwon region now lies in the middle of the urban center, resulting in an abnormal city structure and the loss of the original purpose of the Green Belt designation. For over half a century, local residents have faced significant difficulties in utilizing their land.

Hong Nam-pyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, said, "To resolve these issues, we have actively proposed the lifting of the Green Belt designation in Changwon to the Presidential Office, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Regulatory Innovation Task Force of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Committee for Autonomy and Decentralization, and the Committee for the Era of Local Governments. We will continue to pursue the complete lifting of the Green Belt designation through close cooperation with related agencies to improve the rights and convenience of residents who have suffered from these unfair regulations."