Yongsan District: "Opposes Yongsan Park Act Amendment... Don't Undermine Public Consensus"

"Soil cleanup and infrastructure measures must come first"

Yongsan District, Seoul (District Chief Kim Gyeongdae) has officially opposed an amendment to the Special Act on the Creation of Yongsan Park that is under discussion in the National Assembly. The district believes the amendment would open the way for the park’s main site to be used for housing, undermining a promise made more than 30 years ago to create an “intact national park.”

A view of the partially opened section of Yongsan Park (the former U.S. military officers' quarters, Complex 5). The Asia Business Daily DB.

According to a statement issued by the district on November 9, the amendment would allow the minister of land, infrastructure and transport to establish phased and segmented plans. It would also ease green-space requirements for areas including Camp Kim.

The government is currently considering supplying about 7,000 housing units on the main Yongsan Park site, including the former Defense Acquisition Program Administration site, a military apartment complex and the former U.S. military officers’ housing complex, Site 5. There is also speculation that the amendment could be put before a plenary session of the National Assembly on November 12.

The district emphasized that Yongsan Park has been pursued through public and bipartisan consensus, from the 1990 agreement to relocate the U.S. military base and the 2006 declaration of the site as a national park to the passage of the special act with agreement from both ruling and opposition parties. It said it was concerned that legislation was being rushed without sufficiently hearing public opinion.

The district said, “No matter how urgent things are, you cannot sew with the thread tied around the middle of the needle,” adding that detailed soil contamination surveys, cleanup suited to residential use and safety verification must come first. It also said that measures to provide infrastructure, including transportation and education facilities, must be put in place to support the housing supply.

The district urged officials to “immediately stop attempts to break public consensus using the ‘damaged land’ argument,” saying, “Once a park is damaged, it is difficult to restore its value.” It added, “We will respond unwaveringly to ensure that Yongsan Park is developed as a national park representing Seoul and South Korea.”

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