Daegu City Councilor Kwon Ki-hoon: "One Year Since Palgongsan Became a National Park, Cleaning, Landscaping, and Facility Management Are Inadequate"

Written Administrative Inquiry, Urging Measures
"Management and Utilization Plans Must Be Established"

Daegu City Council member Kwon Ki-hoon (People Power Party, Dong-gu 3) announced on the 9th that he urged Daegu City to prepare concrete measures to resolve residents' inconveniences caused by traffic congestion near Palgongsan National Park and the unclear management authority through a written administrative inquiry.

Councilor Kwon said, "In December 2023, when Palgongsan was designated as a national park, the Ministry of Environment and Daegu City promised to actively strive to establish the park as a place where environmental preservation and regional development harmonize," adding, "However, even one year after the national park upgrade, chronic complaints have not been resolved, and responsibility avoidance among management entities continues."

Councilor Kwon further explained the background of his written inquiry, stating, "Palgongsan is an important natural and cultural heritage and a tourism resource of Daegu, and Daegu City must present practical solutions to coexist with the local community."

Councilor Kwon demanded that Daegu City establish specific development plans that can coexist with residents around Palgongsan, such as creating new premium villages, establishing a new Naktabong hiking trail, and re-promoting the construction of a suspension bridge.

He pointed out that since the national park upgrade, cleaning, landscaping, and facility management within the park village district have been insufficient, causing inconvenience to residents and visitors. He also urged active cooperation between Daegu City and related agencies to resolve issues such as access restrictions for landowners and ancestral graves visitors within the national park and delays in land acquisition.

Councilor Kwon also called for the establishment of plans to alleviate traffic congestion on the Palgongsan loop road by opening arterial roads and expanding roads connecting hiking trails and tourist sites. Furthermore, he argued that since the upgrade to a national park has led to an increase in tourists, revealing the capacity limits of existing parking facilities, sufficient parking spaces must be secured to accommodate both large and regular vehicles.

He emphasized the need to install a specialty product sales center within Palgongsan National Park to increase local residents' income and revitalize the regional economy. He proposed creating a specialty product sales center on the existing parking lot site to provide local specialties to visitors and urged cooperation with the Korea National Park Service for this purpose.

Councilor Kwon stated, "Although Palgongsan has become a national asset through its upgrade to a national park, it remains a precious asset of Daegu," emphasizing, "Daegu City must responsibly prepare systematic management and utilization plans befitting the status of a national park together with the Korea National Park Service."