Gimpo City and Army 2291st Unit Sign Memorandum of Agreement
for Opening Baekmado Island and Removing Barbed Wire Fences along Hangang and Yeomha
Creating Walking Trails and Cultural Spaces for All Citizens
Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Byungsu) announced on November 7 that it had signed a memorandum of agreement with the Army's 2291st Unit on October 15 for the opening of Baekmado Island and the removal of barbed wire fences along the Hangang and Yeomha sections. This agreement is the result of advancing the on-site discussion held by Mayor Kim Byungsu and the commander of the Army's 2291st Unit at Baekmado Island on July 31 into a concrete implementation phase.
Baekmado Island is a midstream island located in the lower reaches of the Hangang River, and public access has been restricted since it was designated as a military facility protection zone in 1970. Through this agreement, the city will cooperate with the military to gradually open Baekmado Island to the public and eventually transform it into a waterfront park. In particular, before the full-scale development of the park, a variety of events and programs will be organized to allow citizens to enjoy Baekmado Island as part of their daily lives.
The memorandum of agreement also includes the removal of barbed wire fences along the Hangang section (Baekmado Island to Gimpo Bridge) and the Yeomha section (Choji Bridge to Saeoe Island). Especially in the Hangang section, connecting the previously separated walking and cycling paths due to the barbed wire will enable citizens to use the riverside more conveniently. In the Yeomha section, both the first and second lines of barbed wire will be removed, aesthetic fences will be installed, and new walking paths will be created to enhance the usability of the waterfront area for citizens.
The city, in close cooperation with the local military unit responsible for the area, aims to guarantee military border operations while removing the barbed wire fences and reorganizing the space. Through these efforts, the city plans to return the long-disconnected waterfront spaces to the citizens and to transform them into new leisure and cultural spaces where history and nature coexist.
In particular, the signing of this memorandum of agreement was made possible by the close cooperation between the Civil-Military Cooperation Team and the Marine and River Division, who worked together on practical discussions with the military, on-site inspections, and coordination of legal and administrative procedures. This is regarded as a long-awaited project for local residents and a significant turning point in revitalizing Gimpo's waterfront resources for the benefit of its citizens.
As a core project of the 8th popularly elected administration, Gimpo City is promoting the "Coastal and Riverside Barbed Wire Removal Project," gradually removing a total of 23.4 kilometers of barbed wire fences. The first section of the Hangang River (Ilsan Bridge to Jeollyuri Port, 8.4 kilometers) already had its second line of barbed wire removed and was opened as a cycling path in June 2023, which citizens are actively using. This latest agreement is expected to further accelerate the progress of this project.
Mayor Kim Byungsu of Gimpo City stated, "The signing of this memorandum of agreement is a historic step in returning Baekmado Island and the Hangang and Yeomha waterfront spaces to the citizens," adding, "We will work closely with the military to create open spaces where citizens can enjoy Baekmado Island and other waterfront areas as part of their everyday lives."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
