Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Conduct Intensive Crackdown on Illegal Activities in Development Restriction Zones

Poster for Intensive Investigation of Illegal Activities in Development Restriction Zones by Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Unit

Gyeonggi Province will conduct intensive crackdowns on illegal activities within the Greenbelt areas.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 20th that from the 23rd of this month to the 11th of next month, a three-week focused investigation will be conducted on habitual offenders of illegal activities within the Greenbelt areas, corporate-type illegal actors operating for profit, and those who fail to comply with correction orders.

The main crackdown targets include ▲ constructing buildings or installing structures without permission ▲ illegally changing the use of facilities related to flora and fauna or agricultural and fishery product storage facilities into logistics warehouses or factories ▲ unauthorized alteration of farmland or forest land into parking lots, etc. ▲ unauthorized storage of goods ▲ cutting down bamboo and trees.

If buildings are illegally repurposed or land is altered within the Greenbelt areas for profit or habitual reasons, penalties of up to three years imprisonment or fines up to 30 million won will be imposed under the Greenbelt Act.

Ki Do, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police, stated, "Illegal activities aimed at unfair profits within the Greenbelt areas are serious crimes that destroy the natural environment and threaten the safety of residents. Through continued focused investigations, we will prevent indiscriminate urban expansion, create a safe living environment, preserve green spaces, and respond to the climate change crisis together with Gyeonggi RE100 for carbon neutrality."

Meanwhile, the number of illegal activity cases detected in the Greenbelt areas within the province has been increasing annually over the past three years: 3,794 cases in 2021, 5,013 cases in 2022, and 7,768 cases in 2023.