Goyang-si Holds Resident Briefing on Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment for Economic Free Zone

Status of Goyang JDS District Economic Free Zone Promotion, Environmental Impact, and Mitigation Measures Explained
About 250 Local Residents Attend... Unified Voice for Swift Promotion of Economic Free Zone
City: "Administrative Procedures for Economic Free Zone Progressing Smoothly... Doing Our Best for Final Designation"

Goyang Special City and Gyeonggi Province held a draft strategic environmental impact assessment briefing session for residents on the 15th regarding the additional designation of the Goyang JDS District in the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone.

Goyang Special City (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) and Gyeonggi Province announced on the 16th that they held a draft strategic environmental impact assessment briefing session for the additional designation of the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Goyang JDS District at the Baekseok Office Building in Ilsandong-gu on the 15th, attracting high interest from residents.

This briefing session was organized to explain the impact of the Goyang JDS District Free Economic Zone development plan on the local environment and to hear residents' opinions. About 250 residents attended the session, showing strong interest in the designation of the Free Economic Zone by displaying banners urging the prompt promotion of the Goyang Free Economic Zone.

The briefing session was held ahead of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's application for the additional designation of the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone. It proceeded with explanations of the progress made so far in the additional designation of the Goyang JDS District Free Economic Zone, announcements of future plans, explanations of the draft strategic environmental impact assessment, and a Q&A session with residents.

First, an official from the city’s Free Economic Zone Promotion Division presented the progress and future plans for the Goyang JDS District Free Economic Zone. They explained the background of pursuing the Free Economic Zone to overcome the limitations faced by Goyang City, which had experienced sluggish development due to overlapping regulations despite its excellent location and growth potential, aiming to grow into a global self-sufficient city.

They also introduced the vision and goals of the Goyang JDS District, which are "Creating a future new industrial ecosystem for the leap to a global leading nation," and the four core strategic projects: "Bio Precision Medicine," "K-Culture," "Smart Mobility," and "MICE." Additionally, key details of the Goyang JDS District Free Economic Zone, including land use plans within the zone and future implementation schedules, were presented.

Next, the consulting firm explained the draft strategic environmental impact assessment, presenting potential environmental issues that may arise during the development process and proposed solutions. Specifically, they explained the current status of environmental conservation-related district and regional designations, environmental quality analysis, wetlands, air quality, water quality, noise and vibration status, predictions of impacts during construction and operation, and mitigation measures.

The city stated that based on detailed project plans such as building placement and floor height, it plans to establish detailed mitigation measures during the environmental impact assessment phase, which is the next step in the implementation plan, to minimize the impact on the surrounding environment.

During the Q&A session, residents continued to ask questions about the Goyang JDS District Free Economic Zone. Attendees expressed strong support for the promotion of the Free Economic Zone and urged swift progress. In particular, there was significant interest in land use plans, traffic improvement measures, timing of land compensation, and relocation measures, with various opinions presented.

One citizen who attended the briefing said, "Through this session, I was able to resolve many questions about the Free Economic Zone. Until now, Goyang City had little noticeable development because companies found it difficult to enter due to regulations, and it has become a bedroom community with only apartments being built." They added, "If the Free Economic Zone is designated, corporate attraction will become active, jobs will increase, and the local economy will revitalize. I hope it proceeds as soon as possible," expressing their expectations.

A city official stated, "We will carefully review the valuable opinions collected from residents through this briefing and actively reflect them in the promotion of the Goyang JDS District Free Economic Zone." They added, "The strategic environmental impact assessment briefing session was successfully completed, and most of the administrative procedures for the additional designation application of the Free Economic Zone are nearing completion. The application for designation by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is imminent, and we are smoothly moving toward final designation. We will do our best until the end to ensure that the Goyang JDS District is finally designated as a Free Economic Zone. We ask residents for their continued interest and support."