Chuncheon City Completes Camp Page Soil Remediation... Bomnae Gymnasium Returns to Citizens

Soil Remediation and Verification at Camp Page Completed Except for the Lower Section of Bomnae Gymnasium
Bomnae Gymnasium Approved as Subject of Risk Assessment, Continued Public Use Permitted

The soil contamination remediation in the Camp Page area of Chuncheon has been completed, and the Bomnae Gymnasium within Camp Page has received government approval as a subject of risk assessment, establishing a foundation for public use by citizens.

Purified Bomnae Gymnasium. Provided by Chuncheon City

The Chuncheon city government announced that on December 19 of last year, it completed the remediation and verification of soil contamination in the Camp Page area, excluding the lower section of Bomnae Gymnasium. The total area of Camp Page is 544,127 square meters, of which 32,038 cubic meters of contaminated soil were remediated and removed.

The Camp Page site, previously used as a military facility, faced soil contamination issues. The Ministry of National Defense conducted remediation work in 2011; however, during a cultural heritage survey in 2020, contaminated soil was discovered again. This led Chuncheon City and the Ministry to carry out additional investigations and remediation. Beginning in January 2022, a phased remediation and verification process was undertaken, culminating in the completion of soil remediation at Camp Page last month.

Additionally, on December 30 of last year, the Bomnae Gymnasium within Camp Page received government approval as a subject of risk assessment, providing an institutional basis for citizens to continue using the sports facility.

Remediation of the contaminated soil beneath Bomnae Gymnasium would have required either demolition of the facility or a prolonged suspension of its use. As a result, the Ministry of National Defense applied for management through a risk assessment approach in accordance with relevant laws, and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment approved this procedure. The Ministry of National Defense plans to implement measures to prevent the spread of contamination and conduct ongoing monitoring of the contamination source beneath Bomnae Gymnasium, reflecting the results of the risk assessment.

Meanwhile, with the completion of soil remediation at Camp Page, Chuncheon City is also considering the resumption of operations for the outdoor swimming pool "Kkumjaram Water Garden" in the Bomnae Gymnasium area, which was previously very popular among citizens. Kkumjaram Water Garden operated during the summer seasons from 2016 to 2020 and saw high usage by citizens, but operations were suspended due to the soil remediation project and cultural heritage excavations. The city plans to comprehensively consider facility aging and other factors due to the prolonged suspension and will review phased improvement measures and the feasibility of reopening the facility.

A city official stated, "All sections where remediation was possible have been completed, and the lower section of Bomnae Gymnasium will be managed through a risk assessment approach in accordance with the law," adding, "Contamination prevention and monitoring will be carried out according to the Ministry of National Defense's management plan."