Construction of the new Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province office building in Goeun-ri, Chuncheon, has been suspended after 388 artifacts were unearthed at the site, with authorities awaiting an appraisal from the Cultural Heritage Administration. Amid the standoff, provincial Assembly member Kim San of the Democratic Party of Korea (Chuncheon District 8) has drawn attention by calling on the provincial government to "stop delaying and proceed with the original plan."
Speaking at the second plenary session of the 349th extraordinary Assembly session Monday, Kim said the new office building project had cleared every major hurdle since the Goeun-ri site was selected in 2022 — including a central investment review by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, a traffic impact assessment, land compensation proceedings and a building permit issued in March. "Given that site preparation and access road construction are already underway and considerable funding has been committed, the executive branch must present a clear direction for moving forward," he said.
The civic group Jungdo Bonbu pushed back, arguing that relocating the provincial office to Goeun-ri would cost 40 to 50 percent more than rebuilding on the current site, at a time when Gangwon Province's finances and Chuncheon residents' livelihoods are already under strain. The group warned that moving the office out of the city center could hollow out Chuncheon's already struggling commercial district, and said the process had been flawed — citing inadequate cost comparisons across candidate sites and insufficient public consultation. "It would be better to build on the current site rather than relocate to Goeun-ri," the group said.
Kim also raised concerns about the burden on residents caused by the prolonged designation of the area as a land transaction permit zone, calling on the provincial government to establish objective criteria for extending or lifting the designation, gather public input, draw up a district-unit plan and review reasonable adjustments to land-use zoning.
With artifacts having been found in large numbers, however, there is little that can be done immediately. Any further decisions will also have to wait for a court ruling on a pending injunction application that seeks to halt the project.
Rebuilding on the current provincial office site has been determined to cost significantly less than relocating to Goeun-ri. On the question of securing funding for the Goeun-ri move, Kim proposed linking Gangwon Province's tourism resources, water resources and forests to a sustainable revenue base.
Specifically, Kim outlined three revenue measures: reviewing the introduction of a tourism tax that accounts for the environmental, traffic and public facility management costs associated with rising tourist numbers; establishing a fair compensation system for forests' carbon absorption function and pursuing related legislation; and expanding the distribution of Han River basin funds while developing water-related fiscal compensation measures.
In addition, Kim proposed forming a joint working-level task force involving both the executive branch and the Assembly to translate these policy proposals into concrete institutional reforms and fiscal support.
Construction of the new Goeun-ri office building is currently the subject of an injunction application pending before a court, filed on the grounds that the project involves not only the artifact discovery but also procedural irregularities and potentially unlawful elements, according to civic groups.
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