Jan. 14 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday it will lift about 630,000 square meters of military facility protection zones in border areas including Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province and Cheorwon in Gangwon Province and ease restrictions on a further 12.44 million square meters by streamlining approval procedures.
The ministry said it finalized its fourth basic plan for managing protected zones for 2025-2029 after deliberations by a military base and facility protection committee on Dec. 22-23, 2025. It said the plan reflects expert and public input and was prepared, for the first time, after consultation with Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province under relevant laws.
The ministry said it will remove or relax protection-zone rules in areas where it judged there would be no operational impact while addressing resident inconvenience and supporting regional development. The total area targeted for lifting or easing is 13.07 million square meters, which it said is about 4.5 times the size of Yeouido.
In Yeoncheon, the ministry said it will lift the designation for about 7,500 square meters near Chatan-ri, an area around the county office that has already developed into a residential district.
In Cheorwon, the ministry said it will lift protection-zone designations for 370,000 square meters around Odeok-ri, Ipyeong-ri and Hwaji-ri, areas that include a regional transportation hub and residential complexes. It also said it will lift designations for 250,000 square meters around Guntan-ri, a tourism area that includes Goseokjeong Pavilion and the Dureuni columnar joints trail, enabling the local government to pursue visitor facilities and revitalize nearby commercial areas.
Separately, the ministry said consultations with relevant military units during building permits and other approvals will be delegated to local governments for 12.44 million square meters of protected zones in areas including Ganghwa in Incheon, Yanggu in Gangwon Province and Pocheon, Paju and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province. It said construction below heights pre-designated by the military will be allowed without prior consultation.
The ministry said it will continue revising protected-zone rules based on what it called a principle of minimum necessity and plans to shift the civilian control line northward. It said it aims to move away from wide belt-style zones set within 25 kilometers of the military demarcation line and instead designate protected areas in box-shaped zones around specific facilities. It also said it will review adjustments to control-protection areas north of the civilian control line, including the relocation of outposts and the establishment of operational support facilities.
The ministry said it also plans to clarify what facilities and activities are permitted within protected zones, add reporting requirements under the Military Base and Military Facilities Protection Act and review improvements to a land purchase request system, citing a need to balance military protection with citizens’ property rights.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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