Uijeongbu-si Hosts Camp Red Cloud International Forum

Mayor Kim Dong-geun: "We Will Rebirth CRC as the Cultural Hub of Korea"

Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Dong-geun) announced on the 14th that it held the "Mijidap Uijeongbu Camp Red Cloud (CRC) International Forum" on the 13th at the chapel within the returned site of Camp Red Cloud (CRC), under the theme of "Creating the Camp Red Cloud (CRC) Design Cluster."

Mayor Kim Dong-geun is taking a commemorative photo with officials at the 'Camp Red Cloud (CRC) International Forum' on the 13th. Provided by Uijeongbu City

This event was the second forum focused on Camp Red Cloud (CRC), following the Mijidap Forum held last December on the theme of "Utilization Plans for U.S. Military Returned Sites and Camp Red Cloud (CRC) in Northern Gyeonggi."

As a pre-forum event, Brendan P. Toolan, commander of the 210th Field Artillery Brigade of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, along with soldiers, toured the Memory Repository and the interior of Camp Red Cloud (CRC).

An Jong-seong, Director of Urban Design, stated that unlike most of the eight U.S. military returned sites in the city, which pursued development methods that erase traces, Camp Red Cloud (CRC) is being developed to preserve history as much as possible. He also discussed the creation of a design cluster that bridges the past and the future, building consensus on the development direction of Camp Red Cloud (CRC).

The forum was attended by about 200 citizens and stakeholders interested in Camp Red Cloud (CRC), including Kim Dong-geun, Mayor of Uijeongbu, Oh Hu-seok, Deputy Governor for Administration of Gyeonggi Province, Kwon Young-geol, Chairman of the National Architecture Policy Committee, Brendan P. Toolan, commander of the 210th Field Artillery Brigade of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, and Kim Yeon-gyun, Chairman of the Uijeongbu City Council.

In the lectures, Bart Akkerhuis, CEO of the French studio Studio Akkerhuis, spoke on the theme of "Regeneration of Architectural Cultural Assets and the Future of Cities," addressing citizen participation and public interest in the redevelopment process.

Following this, Lee Je-seon, Chief Architect of Goyang Special City and professor at Yonsei University, gave a lecture titled "Envisioning a Sustainable Future for Camp Red Cloud (CRC)." Professor Lee discussed sustainable growth utilizing existing buildings at Camp Red Cloud (CRC).

The third lecturer, Kurata Naomi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Engineering in Japan, addressed the topic "Challenges in the Future-Oriented Utilization of Military Cultural Resources." Drawing on his experience participating in the reuse of the Presidio base in San Francisco, USA, which closed in 1989, Professor Kurata proposed directions for the development of Camp Red Cloud (CRC).

Lastly, Lee Ki-ok, Chief Architect of Paju City and professor at Chung-Ang University, spoke on "The Place and Spatial Meaning of Architectural Heritage in the City," emphasizing the importance of preserving the regional identity of Uijeongbu City.

Afterwards, a comprehensive discussion related to the creation of the Camp Red Cloud (CRC) Design Cluster took place. The discussion included the four lecturers, Lee Seok-hyun, Chief Architect of Uijeongbu City and professor at Chung-Ang University, Lee Ok-gyu, CEO of Geunjeong Architecture Office Co., Ltd., Kim Hong-ryeol, Ph.D. at Landscape Urbanism Research Institute Co., Ltd., and Shim Hee-jun, CEO of Architecture Workshop.

During the discussion, opinions were shared emphasizing the need to consider the historicity and identity of Camp Red Cloud (CRC), and to promote development not for the sake of rapid progress but through building consensus over a long period with citizen interest and participation.

Mayor Kim Dong-geun said, "This forum was a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the value of Camp Red Cloud (CRC). We will develop Camp Red Cloud (CRC) into a design cluster equipped with a design industry base, along with a complex space for culture, sports, and parks, to revitalize the local economy through job creation." He added, "We will also strive to promote the creation of the Camp Red Cloud (CRC) Design Cluster as a national project to rebirth it as a cultural hub space in South Korea."