Mayor Park Hyungdeok of Dongducheon Stresses Urgent Need for Substantial National and Local Support

Park Hyungdeok Urges Substantial National Support for Dongducheon Base Area
Governor Kim Dongyeon Pledges Financial Investment and Infrastructure Expansion

Park Hyungdeok, mayor of Dongducheon, strongly emphasized the need for substantial national-level support to resolve the issues of the Dongducheon base area at the "National Assembly Forum on Activation Plans for the Development of U.S. Military Returned Base Areas in Gyeonggi Province" held at the National Assembly on August 25.

Hyungdeok Park, mayor of Dongducheon, attended the "National Assembly Forum on Activation Plans for the Development of U.S. Military Returned Areas in Gyeonggi Province" held at the National Assembly on the 25th, expressing the need for practical national-level support to resolve the issues of the Dongducheon city returned areas. Provided by Dongducheon City

Mayor Park pointed out that Dongducheon has provided 42% of its city area-the largest proportion in the country-as a U.S. military base area for over 70 years. He noted that, according to the Land Partnership Plan and the ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting, Camp Casey and Camp Hovey should have been returned long ago, but currently, 7,000 U.S. soldiers and 3,000 workers still remain there. He highlighted that the resulting economic damage amounts to 527.8 billion won annually, with a cumulative total of 26 trillion won.

He also mentioned the disparity with Pyeongtaek, which provided only 5% of its area as a base but received 18 trillion won in economic support through the Special Act on Pyeongtaek. He stressed, "For local governments like Dongducheon and Uijeongbu, where the return of bases has not been completed for an extended period, government support through a special law is necessary."

At the forum, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dongyeon discussed the need to revitalize areas surrounding the base zones, highlighting: ▲financial investment such as the creation of special funds (establishment of a development fund), ▲expansion of transportation infrastructure (such as the commencement of the GTX-C line extension project to Dongducheon), ▲various regulatory relaxations, and ▲legal and institutional improvements (including special compensation for long-term unreturned base areas). He pledged proactive efforts at the provincial level.

An official from Dongducheon City stated, "The governor's statement is a very encouraging signal for Dongducheon City," adding, "It could become a critical turning point for the development of the base area and the recovery of the local economy." The official continued, "We welcome the province's proactive approach."

Dongducheon City is seeking practical ways to utilize the returned base areas and is closely coordinating with the central government, Gyeonggi Province, and the National Assembly to address the return and compensation issues of unreturned base areas. The city announced that it will continue to strengthen cooperation with the central government and Gyeonggi Province regarding base area development and will strive to create tangible changes through communication with local residents.