Yongin City Solved 10-Year Public Land Illegal Cultivation Issue Using 'Drone'

Restoration of 20,000㎡ Above Hagal-dong Giheung Tunnel Completed in Just Over a Year
Also Awarded Encouragement Prize at the 'Public Property Excellence Competition'

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province resolved the issue of illegal farming on public land, which had been a headache for 10 years, within just one year using a single drone.

According to Yongin City on the 10th, the city conducted drone-based monitoring over 20,000㎡ above the Giheung Tunnel in Hagal-dong, Giheung-gu, where illegal farming had been taking place, and restored the area to its original state.

Officials from Yongin City who received the Encouragement Award at the "Public Property Best Practice Competition" for cracking down on illegal farming using drones are taking a commemorative photo at the awards ceremony. Photo by Yongin City

The site around 16-3 Hagal-dong is owned by Gyeonggi Province but is under the management responsibility of the city as the road management authority. Since 2014, when about 50 citizens illegally occupied and farmed the land, the city had been encouraging voluntary removal by installing banners and signs.

However, as illegal farming continued, the city began sequential restoration efforts from 2020. The city explained that the problem was the difficulty in monitoring because there was only one manager for nearly three times the size of a soccer field.

The speed of monitoring and restoration increased when a drone was deployed in February 2023. The drone captured high-resolution footage with a wider view in just 30 minutes, compared to the six hours it previously took the staff to film.

Ultimately, the city restored all illegally farmed land by April last year, one year and two months after deploying the drone. In particular, the city also improved urban aesthetics by planting trees and creating walking paths on the restored land, turning it into a resident-friendly space.

This case was awarded the "Encouragement Prize" at the "Excellent Shared Property Case Competition" held by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at the Government Sejong Complex on the 9th. This competition recognizes local governments that have made efforts to efficiently manage and utilize shared property, operate local finances soundly, and provide high-quality administrative services to citizens.

A city official said, "By deploying drones to address the chronic issue of illegal farming, we achieved cost and time savings compared to manpower," adding, "We will continue to manage this space well and develop it into a green area accessible to all citizens."