Mayor Hyungdeok Park: "Turning Point in Resolving Long-Term Unrestituted Base Areas... Establishing Foundation for Dongducheon’s Future Growth"

Dongducheon Hosts "US Military Base Area Future Growth Strategy Forum"
"Substantial Compensation and Special Law Needed for Long-Term Sacrifices"
Government, Experts, and Citizens Speak with One Voice on Solutions and Growth Strategies for Base Areas

Dongducheon City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Hyungdeok Park) and National Assemblyman Kim Sungwon jointly held the "New Leap Forward from Dongducheon US Military Base Areas: Return, Compensation, and Future Growth Strategy Forum" at Dongducheon Citizens' Hall on December 1, under the theme "A New Starting Point for Dongducheon US Military Base Area."

Hyungdeok Park, Mayor of Dongducheon, is delivering a greeting at the "New Leap Forward from the US Military Base Areas in Dongducheon: Forum on Return, Compensation, and Future Growth Strategies" held at the Dongducheon Citizens' Hall on the 1st. Provided by Dongducheon City

More than 300 participants, including officials from central government ministries, local governments, local councils, academic experts, and citizens, attended the event to examine the issues surrounding Dongducheon’s base areas from multiple perspectives.

This forum drew heightened attention as it was held shortly after the President, during the "Northern Gyeonggi Town Hall Meeting" on November 14, pointed out the prolonged non-return of US military base areas in Dongducheon as "unacceptable" and instructed the Ministry of National Defense to respond swiftly.

The keynote presentation was delivered by Kang Minjo, Director of the Korea Peninsula and East Asia Research Center at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, who proposed a phased strategy for the return of unrestituted base areas, practical compensation measures through the enactment of a special law for long-term unrestituted sites, and the necessity of state-led regional development.

In the subsequent comprehensive discussion, So Sungkyu, Vice President of Daejin University, served as moderator, with experts from the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Gyeonggi Province, Dongducheon City Council, and academia sharing in-depth opinions. The participants unanimously emphasized that substantial compensation and support commensurate with the long-standing sacrifices Dongducheon has made for national security are absolutely necessary.

Key discussion topics included the complete return of Camp Castle and Camp Mobile, which have only been partially restituted; the ongoing economic damage caused by the long-term non-return of sites such as Camp Casey and Camp Hovey and the need for a special law; and the necessity for state-led development of the Jimbuls Training Area, where development has been delayed even after its return.

Dongducheon City is holding the "New Leap Forward from Dongducheon US Military Base: Return, Compensation, and Future Growth Strategy Forum" on the 1st at the Dongducheon Citizens' Hall under the theme "The Starting Point of a New Leap Forward for Dongducheon US Military Base." Provided by Dongducheon City

Mayor Hyungdeok Park stated, "This forum is particularly meaningful as it is being held at a time when the national policy direction for the prompt return of long-term unrestituted bases and the promotion of new projects for the utilization of base areas is becoming clearer in the wake of the President's town hall remarks. As local public opinion and government policy are now aligned, I expect this to be a turning point in resolving the issues of long-term unrestituted base areas. We will continue to work closely with the central government to firmly establish the foundation for Dongducheon’s future growth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.