Feasibility Study Passes Review, Contractor Selection Underway
Citizens React with Both Hope and Concern
Buk-gu: "Results Expected in About Three Months"
"Moving the 31st Division? Looks like it's election season again."
On the morning of the 12th, Mr. A (69), whom we met in an alley in Samgak-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, responded to a question about the 31st Infantry Division by saying, "Talks about relocation have been going on for a long time."
Having lived for several years in an apartment near the base, he shared, "I heard from the district office that they started a feasibility study for the relocation, but since discussions always start and then stop, I don't really care anymore."
In fact, Buk-gu District Office in Gwangju has recently begun procedures to promote a "basic plan study for the relocation and site utilization of the 31st Infantry Division." This study will review the feasibility of relocating the military base and the direction of development for the existing site if the relocation occurs.
Regarding this, a Buk-gu official told our newspaper over the phone, "This is the first time the local government is taking the initiative to prepare a plan for relocating the military base."
The 31st Division was established in February 1955 in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, and moved to its current site in April of the same year. It has since served as a local division for the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions. However, as apartment complexes began to be built in the previously sparsely populated area from the 1990s onward, the 31st Division has come to be seen as a major obstacle to urban development.
The total area of the 31st Division's site is 1.74 million square meters, consisting of 1.28 million square meters for the division headquarters, 199,000 square meters for the guerrilla training ground, and 261,000 square meters for the Buk-gu Reserve Forces Battalion. Among these, the relocation plan is being considered for the division headquarters and guerrilla training ground, totaling 1.479 million square meters?an area equivalent to about 200 soccer fields.
This study recently passed the review committee and has entered the process of selecting a contractor.
Kim Sunhong, head of the urban planning team, said, "We have started the procedures to select a contractor," adding, "The main content of the study will include how other local governments have promoted military base relocations, the approximate project cost if the relocation actually takes place, and what kind of facilities would be suitable for the site after relocation." He continued, "We expect the results to come out in about three months from now."
Kim Hyungsoo, a council member who has raised related issues several times, said, "We will continue to monitor the progress closely with the residents."
The Citizens' Relocation Promotion Committee, upon hearing the news, also expressed a welcoming stance. Committee chairman Jung Heehwan stated, "For years, residents have suffered not only from the noise of military shooting but also from restrictions on property rights due to the designation of military facility protection zones," and added, "I hope that this time, the study proceeds well and leads to an actual relocation result."
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