Dongducheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 11th that it has purchased the site of the former Venereal Disease Control Center after 10 years of effort. The acquisition of the former Venereal Disease Control Center site began in 2014 during the 6th local government administration and is the result of continuous efforts.
According to the city, since being designated as the Soyosan National Tourist Site in 1977, Dongducheon has steadily expanded its tourism infrastructure and convenience facilities.
In 1999, the former Venereal Disease Control Center site was designated as a recreational facility site under the amusement park development plan.
Subsequently, Mayor Oh Se-chang of the 6th local government administration began negotiations to purchase the site from Shinheung Academy in 2014, but the talks broke down due to a significant price gap. In 2017, efforts to purchase the site again with the goal of establishing a youth hostel failed due to Shinheung Academy's refusal.
In 2019, Mayor Choi Yong-deok of the 7th local government administration also reviewed ways to utilize the former Venereal Disease Control Center site and continued persistent efforts to acquire the land.
However, as the purchase process prolonged, the site remained neglected, and the abandoned buildings raised concerns about youth crime and safety accidents, leading to ongoing requests from citizens for management.
In 2022, Shinheung Academy expressed willingness to sell the site to Dongducheon City at a reduced price from the approximately 3.7 billion won appraised in 2017, citing difficulties in managing the property.
Accordingly, both parties finalized a plan in December to purchase the site for approximately 2.9 billion won, based on the arithmetic average of valuations from two appraisal institutions. Dongducheon City completed the acquisition process by transferring ownership in February 2023.
A city official stated, “This land acquisition is the fruit of 10 years of persistent effort and will be an important opportunity to resolve the shortage of lodging and convenience facilities in the Soyosan tourist area. Once a large-scale lodging facility is established, conditions for tourists to stay will be created, greatly revitalizing the local economy and significantly enhancing Soyosan’s tourism competitiveness.”
Meanwhile, Dongducheon City planned to demolish the former Venereal Disease Control Center in July this year, secured the budget through city council approval, and began demolition work in October. However, the demolition has been delayed due to obstruction of construction vehicle access by some groups opposing the demolition.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
