Mayor Hyungdeok Park Proposes US Military Base Land Support Policies to Governor Dongyeon Kim

Gyeonggi Province and Dongducheon Join Forces to Resolve US Military Base Land Issues
"After 74 Years of Sacrifice for Security, Now to Become a Center of Balanced Development"
Dongducheon Requests Substantial Support from Gyeonggi Province for Support Policies and Special Grants Allocation

On October 16, Dongducheon Mayor Hyungdeok Park requested substantial support from Gyeonggi Province Governor Dongyeon Kim, who visited the city hall, for key issues such as support policies for the US military base land in Dongducheon and the allocation of special adjustment grants.

Hyungdeok Park, mayor of Dongducheon (right), is handing over a petition to Dongyeon Kim, governor of Gyeonggi Province, who visited the city hall on the 16th, requesting substantial support for key issues such as support policies for the US military base land in Dongducheon and the allocation of special adjustment grants. Provided by Dongducheon City

This visit was part of Governor Kim's "Daldal Bus" itinerary, during which he toured the northern Gyeonggi region to directly inspect public livelihood sites. "Daldal Bus" stands for "Everywhere We Go, Things Change."

Mayor Park stated, "Dongducheon has endured the greatest sacrifices for national security, having provided 42% of its area as US military base land over the past 74 years. However, the city still suffers from stagnated urban growth and a vicious cycle of insufficient social overhead capital due to the base land." He added, "I deeply appreciate Gyeonggi Province's proactive efforts to resolve the issues surrounding the returned base land."

He then proposed several measures to ensure substantial support led by the province: ▲ prioritizing Dongducheon projects in the allocation of the Gyeonggi Province US Military Returned Base Area Development Fund; ▲ supporting the enactment of a special law to aid long-term unreturned base areas; and ▲ providing special adjustment grants for development projects around the base land and for improving road accessibility.

In particular, he emphasized the need for proactive action regarding the long-term unreturned sites, which remain in a legal blind spot and face administrative challenges even before development can begin. He stressed that Gyeonggi Province and Dongducheon City should work closely together to urge the central government to improve laws and systems and to secure budget allocations. He also made it clear that this issue requires not just local proposals but a shift in national policy.

Mayor Park said, "I hope Gyeonggi Province will join us not only in developing the already returned sites but also in fundamentally resolving the issue of long-term unreturned base land. We will continue to work closely with the province to find policy solutions for the US military base land issue and to promote balanced regional development."

In response, Governor Kim declared, "We will create a game changer to unlock the potential of northern Gyeonggi Province. Gyeonggi Province and Dongducheon City will take the initiative in addressing the US military base land issue and actively draw the attention and support of the central government." He also announced plans to establish a separate legislative task force to seek institutional solutions for the long-term unreturned base land issue.

Dongducheon City plans to use this proposal as an opportunity to redefine the US military base land issue as a core regional agenda and to accelerate practical solutions through cooperation with Gyeonggi Province and the central government.