S. Korean government to invest in economic revitalization of DMZ border regions

Posted on : 2019-02-08 17:20 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
National security regulations have hindered development in areas close to inter-Korean border
More than 200 cyclists participated in the DMZ Bike Tour in March 2016. (Kim Seong-gwang
More than 200 cyclists participated in the DMZ Bike Tour in March 2016. (Kim Seong-gwang

The South Korean government has decided to invest 13.2 trillion won (US$11.75 billion) by 2030 to revitalize the economy in the inter-Korean border region, where development has been hindered by national security regulations. More funds have also been allocated for creating a walking trail near the DMZ, promoting “eco-peaceful” tourism and investing in social overhead capital for local residents.

On Feb. 7, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety revealed a plan to spend 13.2 trillion won by 2030 across 15 cities and counties located in Gangwon Province, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, which are close to the DMZ and the Northern Limit Line (NLL). To make this possible, the ministry amended the Comprehensive Development Plan for the Border Area in January through the Border Area Policy Deliberation Committee. The government originally created the Comprehensive Development Plan for the Border Area in 2011, and has injected 2.8 trillion won (US$2.49 billion) in funding over the past eight years. Under the new plan, by 2030 the government will make a five-fold increase in spending over the amount already invested. The central government will foot the bill for 5.4 trillion won (US$4.81 billion), while 2.2 trillion (US$1.99 billion) will come from local governments and 5.6 trillion won (US$4.99 billion) will be invested by private capital.

The amended development plan contains a total of 225 projects under 10 major objectives and four key strategies. Included in the four strategies are 108 projects to promote eco-peaceful tourism (US$2.67 billion), 42 projects to improve settlement conditions (US$1.51 billion), 54 projects to establish a foundation for balanced development (US$3.03 billion) and 21 projects to lay a foundation for inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation (US$4.54 billion).

The project to promote eco-peaceful tourism includes creating a walking trail and Hantangang River eco-experience space near the DMZ, as well as building a gondola, observatory and army life experience space using military facilities in the Yanggu County Punch Bowl in Gangwon Province. In order to improve the settlement conditions for local residents, multipurpose community centers with cultural, recreational and welfare facilities for both civilians and the military will be built in key locations in each region between Ganghwa County, Gyeonggi Province, and Goseong County, Gangwon Province. In addition to this, (liquified petroleum gas) LPG storage facilities and pipelines will be installed in areas that do not currently receive a gas supply.

In Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, a region which lacks industrial infrastructure, an industrial complex will be established to lay the foundation for development, while another project in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province, involves improving the environment in a dense shopping district. Furthermore, a “road of peace” will be built from Yeongjongdo to Sindo Islands in Incheon to expand the traffic network between islands in the border area, and a unification and cultural exchange center will be set up in Cheorwon County, Gangwon, to promote exchanges between the two Koreas.

Experts believe the government’s support for the border area is a positive step towards balanced national development, but also stressed that the priority of the policy should be improving quality of life for local residents. Park Yoo-seong, a statistics professor at Korea University, said, “In order to ensure that the benefits of government support go to local residents instead of outsiders, there needs to be a lot of investment in building lifestyle infrastructure and creating jobs, not just tourism.”

By Kim Mi-hyang, staff reporter

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