Mayor Park Hyeongdeok "Regional Economy Collapse and City Existence Crisis"
Regional Economy and Population Decline Collapsed as the Price of Security
Last Chance for Dongducheon’s Rebound
Dongducheon City in Gyeonggi Province, which has contributed to national security as a U.S. military base for 73 years since the Korean War, is facing an existential crisis due to severe economic difficulties and population decline.
Mayor Park Hyeong-deok of Dongducheon strongly urged the enactment of the 'Dongducheon Support Special Act' and called for government support.
According to Dongducheon City on the 25th, the city has provided 40.63㎢, accounting for 42% of its total area, to the U.S. military since the Korean War. This area is seven times the size of Yeouido and equivalent to 3,300 soccer fields. However, most of the returned land is mountainous and undevelopable, making practical use difficult.
As a result, Dongducheon has gained nothing in return for its security sacrifices and has only suffered astronomical damages.
The Gyeonggi Development Institute estimated Dongducheon City's economic damage at a total of 25.1181 trillion KRW. Along with an annual local tax loss of at least 30 billion KRW, an opportunity cost of 527.8 billion KRW occurs every year.
In particular, the collapse of the local commercial district due to the recent relocation of U.S. forces to Pyeongtaek has become a serious issue. More than 40% of related self-employed businesses have closed, and sales have dropped by over 60%.
As a consequence, Dongducheon recorded the highest unemployment rate nationwide at 5.1% in the first half of 2024 and received the lowest financial independence rating in Gyeonggi Province for five consecutive years. Additionally, the population, which once approached 100,000, has decreased to the 80,000 range, putting the city's existence at risk.
Mayor Park Hyeong-deok stated, "Since the launch of the 8th local government, we have concentrated all administrative efforts on resolving the enormous damages caused by delays in the return of U.S. military bases," and criticized, "The government is ignoring our desperate demands." He emphasized, "Together with 90,000 citizens, we will make every effort to enact the Dongducheon Support Special Act."
On April 18 of this year, Dongducheon held a mass rally with the participation of about 2,000 citizens, continuously conveying the voices of its citizens to the government by delivering five demands, including the enactment of a special law equivalent to that of Pyeongtaek, clarification of the timing for the return of U.S. military bases, and the creation of a national industrial complex.
The city expects that the enactment and enforcement of the Special Act on Support for Long-Term Non-Returned U.S. Military Base Areas in Korea will significantly alleviate the economic damages suffered over the past 73 years as a U.S. military base. The bill proposed by National Assembly member Kim Seong-won includes provisions for increased national subsidies and compensation for local tax losses for 10 years after the return of U.S. military land.
Additionally, it specifies the conversion of 292.4 billion KRW for the purchase of non-returned land at Camp Casey and Camp Hovey into surrounding support projects, subsidies for land development and acquisition costs for the Dongducheon National Industrial Complex, and exemption from preliminary feasibility studies.
Mayor Park Hyeong-deok is making special efforts to realize the special law by meeting with National Assembly member Kim Seong-won as well as officials from the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Strategy and Finance, conveying the necessity of passing the special law.
Dongducheon plans to cooperate not only with local governments with long-term non-returned military base areas such as Uijeongbu and Gunsan but also with municipalities like Paju and Hanam where the return of base land has been completed, to achieve the passage of the bill.
Mayor Park Hyeong-deok said, "The Dongducheon Support Special Act is a rightful entitlement and the beginning of just compensation," and added, "We will not stop our efforts necessary for the enactment of the special law."
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