Yongsan District Opposes Amendment to Special Act on Yongsan Park Development: “It Must Be Halted Immediately”

[Financial News] Yongsan District reiterated its opposition on the 9th to pursuing an amendment to the Special Act on the Creation of Yongsan Park that would allow the park’s core site to be used for housing.
In a statement issued that day, Yongsan District said, “We clearly oppose the proposed amendment to the Special Act on the Creation of Yongsan Park currently under discussion in the National Assembly.”.
The amendment would allow part of Yongsan Park’s core site to be excluded from the park zone and converted into public housing land for young people, newlyweds and others. It would also allow the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, when necessary, to draw up plans in stages and in separate parts, and would ease standards for green space, including at Camp Kim.
Yongsan District said, “Yongsan Park has been pursued on the basis of a national commitment, spanning more than 30 years—from the 1990 agreement to relocate the U.S. military base and the 2006 designation as a national park to the Special Act enacted through an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties—to create an intact ecological and historical park and pass it on to future generations.” It added, “We cannot help but be deeply concerned that legislation is being pushed forward without sufficient public consultation, despite the public and bipartisan consensus and the commitment to create it as a national park that have been upheld.”
The district continued, “The government has recently been considering plans to provide about 7,000 homes on Yongsan Park’s core site, including the former Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) site, military apartment buildings and Officers’ Quarters Complex 5.” It added, “Reports have emerged that the amendment to the Special Act on the Creation of Yongsan Park could be placed before the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 12th.”
Yongsan District emphasized, “Once a park’s value has been damaged, it is difficult to restore,” and said, “We ask that attempts to undermine public consensus using the so-called ‘damaged site’ argument be stopped immediately.”
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