Downgrade from controlled to restricted protection zone to improve property rights, land use
Siheung City announced Wednesday that a priority release zone in the Gujijung area of Gunja-dong, covering 17,356.4 square meters, has been downgraded from a controlled protection zone to a restricted protection zone under the Military Bases and Installations Protection Act, effective Wednesday.
The reclassification eases regulations that had in effect barred new construction, allowing residents to pursue development activities — including building new structures — after consulting with the military. The city said the change is expected to significantly improve conditions for residents to exercise their property rights and make rational use of their land.
The Gunja-dong area had been designated a priority release zone and managed as a Class 1 general residential zone under a district unit plan, but an overlapping designation as a controlled protection zone for military facility protection had made new construction virtually impossible. Residents were therefore unable to fully exercise their property rights even after the area was rezoned for residential use.
To address residents' difficulties and promote balanced regional development, the city had been continuously urging the Ministry of National Defense and Gyeonggi Province since 2007 to adjust the protection zone boundaries and ease activity restrictions. The city explained to the relevant authorities that a settlement had already formed in the area and that the impact on military operations was limited, ultimately securing the reclassification of the Gunja-dong controlled protection zone to a restricted protection zone.
Siheung Mayor Lim Byeong-taek said the easing of the protection zone designation was "the fruit of sustained efforts to resolve the long-standing inconvenience faced by residents," adding that the city would "actively cooperate with central government agencies to protect citizens' property rights and promote regional development while maintaining military security."
The city said it plans to continue pushing for improvements to overlapping and excessive regulations, expanding regulatory reform in ways that residents can tangibly feel.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
