Mentioned at Gangwon Town Hall Meeting... "Lift All Restrictions Except Where Absolutely Necessary"
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "We Will Also Build Transportation Networks and High-Tech Industrial Complexes"
On September 12, Minister of National Defense Shin Kyubeak announced at a town hall meeting in Gangwon Province, presided over by President Lee Jaemyung, that he would take a forward-looking approach to addressing the inconveniences faced by residents in the border areas of Gangwon Province. President Lee emphasized that lifting military facility protection zones was key, stating that it would be preferable to expedite the process and remove restrictions everywhere except where absolutely necessary.
At the town hall meeting held at the Gangwon Creative Development Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Minister Shin said, "I am deeply aware that Gangwon Province, being on the front line of South Korea's security, faces many constraints to regional development." He added, "The Ministry of National Defense has already eased regulations and lifted security measures in an area about 88 times the size of Yeouido," but emphasized, "We will further relax regulations more boldly in line with the changing times."
He also responded positively to requests to ease regulations north of the civilian control line. Minister Shin stated, "We will work to resolve the issue by relaxing regulations from the current 10 kilometers in accordance with current circumstances." He continued, "We will transfer unused land to local governments for their use, and provide financial support to address regional water shortages." He further promised, "We will lift all regulations that can be eased except for essential elements," and pledged, "I will make Gangwon Province the leading province."
President Lee also responded positively to Minister Shin's remarks. President Lee said, "The lifting of military facility protection zones is the core of deregulation in Gangwon Province," adding, "It would be best to remove all restrictions except where absolutely necessary." He went on to say, "But the pace is too slow. Let's speed things up."
Additionally, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoonduk stated that, to revitalize tourism in Gangwon Province, the government would further expand transportation networks, promote the activation of national high-tech industrial complexes, and improve living conditions in areas facing population decline. He explained, "Within this year, we will definitely increase the number of Seoul-Gangneung KTX trains by four and improve the speed of the Samcheok-Gangneung section of the East Coast railway." He added, "We will ensure that the preliminary feasibility study for the metropolitan railway connecting the Seoul metropolitan area passes this year." Furthermore, he said that a cluster combining water resources, information technology (IT), and biotechnology would be established in Chuncheon, and that corporate innovation parks in Wonju and Chuncheon would be promoted more actively.
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