Paju City Requests Ministry of National Defense Action
First Visit by Head of Defense Ministry Task Force
Signal for Establishing a Cooperative System for Returned Land Development
As the government seeks forward-looking ways to utilize land returned by the U.S. military, the Ministry of National Defense and Paju City have begun full-scale discussions as a follow-up to President Lee Jaemyung's directive.
On July 16, the head of the Task Force for Reviewing Measures for U.S. Military Returned Land in Northern Gyeonggi, newly established within the Ministry of National Defense's U.S. Military Base Relocation Project Group, visited Paju City Hall to conduct a forward-looking review of development plans for returned U.S. military sites in northern Gyeonggi.
On this day, the head of the Returned Land Task Force personally met with the mayor of Paju to discuss key issues related to the returned sites and to listen to Paju City's requests.
During the meeting, Paju Mayor Kim Kyungil stated, "The land returned by the U.S. military in Paju has been sacrificed for national security for the past 70 years," and added, "Since regional development has been restricted for such a long time, the Ministry of National Defense should now proactively consider transferring the returned sites to the local government free of charge."
He also requested immediate military consultations regarding the designation of military facility protection zones to expedite the development of the returned Camp Edwards, Camp Stanton, and Camp Giant sites. The aim is to reduce administrative delays during the development process and to ensure a more systematic and consistent administrative approach.
Paju City maintains that it has suffered significant damage due to restrictions and development limitations caused by the presence of U.S. military bases, and insists that free transfer of the land should be granted at least as compensation for these damages.
In response, the head of the Returned Land Task Force stated, "This meeting was arranged to hear directly from those on the ground where the U.S. military returned land is located," and added, "We will actively coordinate with relevant ministries to help resolve Paju City's difficulties and benefit local residents."
This meeting is being evaluated as the starting point for official discussions between the Ministry of National Defense and local governments to resolve the issue of U.S. military returned land in northern Gyeonggi. Attention is focused on whether this meeting will serve as a turning point for institutional change and tangible progress in the development projects for returned land, which have long been stalled. Paju City hopes that this consultation will give new momentum to the long-awaited development of returned land, thereby revitalizing the local economy and improving residents' quality of life.
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