Incheon City is accelerating its efforts to have the Sorae Wetland area in Namdong-gu, the largest tidal flat on the west coast, designated as a National Urban Park.
On the 28th, the city announced that the amendment to the "Act on Urban Parks and Green Spaces" recently passed the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee. The amendment eases the minimum area requirement for National Urban Park designation from the previous 3 million square meters to 1 million square meters.
The city expects that if the amendment passes the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and is finally approved at the plenary session of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will proceed with revising subordinate regulations and preparing guidelines. As a result, each local government will be able to apply for National Urban Park designation.
Since 2021, Incheon City has been actively pursuing the designation of the Sorae Wetland area as a National Urban Park. In 2023, the city established a basic plan by holding the "Finding the Value of Sorae" forum and a citizen debate, and last year, it further laid the groundwork for the designation through the "Incheon Park Festa" and various other events and discussions with citizens.
The total area of the National Urban Park envisioned by the city is 6.65 million square meters, which includes the existing Ramsar Wetland (3.6 million square meters), Sorae Wetland Ecological Park (1.5 million square meters), public waters (600,000 square meters), Haeoreum Park (60,000 square meters), and newly designated Sorae A Park (318,000 square meters) and B Park (90,000 square meters). This is 2.3 times the size of Yeouido in Seoul (2.9 million square meters).
The city plans to gradually carry out administrative procedures, such as urban management planning and park development planning, to create an integrated park that encompasses the existing parks in the Sorae area.
The legal basis for National Urban Park designation was established when the Act on Urban Parks and Green Spaces was amended in 2016. However, due to excessive designation requirements, complex procedures including Cabinet deliberation, and the financial burden on local governments, no area has been designated yet.
An official from Incheon City stated, "Once the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revises the subordinate regulations and prepares guidelines based on the amendment, we plan to apply for the designation of 'Sorae Salt Field National Urban Park.' If designated as a National Urban Park, we will develop it into a world-class landmark park representing the Seoul metropolitan area and the west coast, with substantial support including securing national funding."
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