Geumcheon-gu, 90% of Residents Support Development Plan for Air Force Base Site in Doksan-dong

Less Than 20% of the Site Deemed Appropriate for Downtown-Type Base
High Demand for Leisure Facilities
Survey Results to Be Reflected in Spatial Restructuring Plan

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that it has completed a survey conducted since October last year to incorporate diverse opinions into the full-scale development plan of the Air Force base site located in Doksan-dong.

The Air Force base site in Doksan-dong spans approximately 125,000㎡ and has long disrupted the living area of the Doksan-dong district as it has been situated in the heart of Geumcheon-gu since the 1940s. In July last year, the site was selected as a leading project area for the Spatial Innovation Zone, accelerating the development process.

In line with the establishment of a full-scale development plan, the district has made efforts to reflect diverse opinions from various sectors into the development concept. They held visiting resident briefings, meetings with related experts and companies, and completed an online survey conducted nationwide from October to the end of December.

With over 1,500 participants, the survey consisted of 19 questions asking about the urban form after the complex development of the Air Force base, the facilities to be introduced for creating a job-residence-leisure ‘function-intensive city (compact city)’, and the types of necessary public facilities.

The survey results showed that most respondents (90%) supported the basic concept of establishing a downtown-type base and realizing a job-residence-leisure function-intensive city, urging rapid development.

Regarding the area of the downtown-type base, more than half of the respondents (59%, including other opinions) considered less than 20% of the site appropriate, and the remaining area should be developed with facilities needed by the community.

Additionally, for the job-residence-leisure function-intensive city where work, residence, and leisure coexist, residents expressed the highest demand for leisure (‘Rak’) facilities (58%), and the necessary public facilities included parks and green spaces, educational facilities, and public sports facilities.

As for the industries to attract for job creation and regional economic revitalization, advanced information and communication technology (37%) and the medical industry (23%) were preferred in that order.

A district official stated, “The complex development of the Doksan-dong Air Force base site is a long-cherished project for Geumcheon residents, and the collected resident opinions will be actively reviewed and reflected in the spatial restructuring plan.”

The district has recognized the need to develop the site, which hinders regional development and inconveniences residents’ lives, and has been discussing various approaches to fully relocate the Air Force base since 2005.

In 2021, after gathering residents’ opinions and meeting with the Deputy Minister of National Defense, it was decided to significantly reduce the base within the current site and develop the remaining area.

In January 2023, with the introduction of the new urban planning system called the Spatial Innovation Zone, dozens of working-level meetings were held with related agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul City, and the Ministry of National Defense.

Finally, in July 2024, the site was selected as a leading project area for the Spatial Innovation Zone, accelerating the development momentum.

Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “We thank everyone who participated in the survey for the effective development of the Air Force base site,” adding, “We will continue to communicate with residents through various methods throughout the development process and do our best to realize a job-residence-leisure function-intensive city where residents can live more comfortably and conveniently.”