Dongducheon City Demands Substantial Compensation for Security Sacrifices from the Ministry of National Defense
Government Sends Signal of Hope to Dongducheon with Positive Response
On July 17, Dongducheon City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Park Hyungdeok) held a meeting at City Hall with the Ministry of National Defense's "Task Force for Reviewing Measures on US Military Base Areas in Northern Gyeonggi." During the meeting, the city explained the severe regional imbalance and the suffering of Dongducheon citizens caused by the US military base areas, and strongly urged the government to establish concrete and effective countermeasures at the national level.
This meeting was a follow-up measure to President Lee Jaemyung's instruction at the Cabinet meeting on July 1, in which he directed the Ministry of National Defense to "proactively review and report on the handling of returned US military base areas in northern Gyeonggi." It is being evaluated as a signal that the government is now seriously engaging with the issues facing Dongducheon.
Dongducheon City has provided land equivalent to 42% of its total area as US military base areas for over 70 years. Even now, about 70% of the total area of the 11 unrestituted US military base sites nationwide remains concentrated in Dongducheon. This represents an unprecedented sacrifice for a single basic local government and is a main obstacle to the city's development.
On this day, Mayor Park Hyungdeok made several proposals to the Ministry of National Defense: the immediate return of Camp North Castle Parcel 2 and Camp Mobile Parcel 2; clarification of the return timeline for Camp Casey and Camp Hovey; if long-term stationing is required for national security, the enactment of a special law to provide substantial compensation, similar to the case of Pyeongtaek; converting the 292.4 billion won in national funds allocated for land acquisition of base areas into support projects for surrounding regions; and attracting a defense industry cluster within the Dongducheon National Industrial Complex.
Mayor Park explained, "Dongducheon suffers annual economic losses of about 527.8 billion won and a decrease in local tax revenue by 30 billion won, which is worsening the city's finances. The employment rate is the lowest in the country, while the unemployment rate is among the highest. The population, which once exceeded 100,000, has now declined to 86,000, putting the region at risk of extinction."
To overcome this situation, the prompt return of Camp North Castle Parcel 2, which is an obstacle to attracting the Taereung International Skating Rink, and Camp Mobile Parcel 2, located in the city center, is essential. These two bases are located near National Route 3, which runs north-south through Dongducheon. Their return is expected to serve as a practical starting point for the city's development.
He further emphasized, "Special sacrifices for national security must be met with special compensation. Just as Pyeongtaek achieved growth through 19 trillion won in economic support and the attraction of major corporations, we strongly request that Dongducheon citizens also be given hope to remain in their region through measures such as enacting a special law."
In response, the head of the Ministry of National Defense's task force stated, "The government is fully aware of Dongducheon's suffering and deeply sympathizes with the mayor's proposals. We will actively review the suggestions made today in consultation with relevant ministries to resolve the difficulties faced by Dongducheon City."
Through this meeting, as the government expressed a positive stance toward Dongducheon City's requests and demonstrated a willingness to conduct substantive reviews, it is expected that this will mark a turning point of real change and hope for Dongducheon, which has endured hardship for many years.
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