Military protection zones 10 times size of Yeouido to be lifted or eased

South Korea will lift or ease military facility protection zones covering 29.16 million square meters — roughly 10 times the area of Yeouido.

The Ministry of National Defense announced Tuesday that the changes cover three categories: the lifting of restricted protection zones in five areas — Goseong-gun, Sokcho, Pyeongtaek, Goyang and Yongsan-gu — totaling 8.628 million square meters; the easing of a controlled protection zone to a restricted protection zone in Siheung covering 17,000 square meters; and the lifting of flight safety zones in four areas — Mapo-gu, Eunpyeong-gu, Goyang and Sejong — totaling 20.515 million square meters.

The Defense Ministry identified the five areas for full lifting of restricted protection zone status after determining that removing the designations would not impair military operations, while also addressing long-standing burdens on regional development and residents.

In the Goseong-gun and Sokcho areas of Gangwon Province, 6.39 million square meters of restricted protection zone will be lifted to resolve years of infringement on residents' property rights and daily inconvenience caused by height restrictions tied to communications facilities.

In the Godeok International Planning District in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, 1.33 million square meters of restricted protection zone will be lifted following the completed relocation of ammunition from a depot. The move is expected to accelerate follow-on development and infrastructure expansion in the Godeok district.

In addition, 770,000 square meters of restricted protection zone in the Goyang area of Gyeonggi Province will be lifted to support development of a techno valley and public housing projects. A further 137,000 square meters at Yongsan Children's Garden — located outside the Defense Ministry perimeter — will also be lifted. The Yongsan measure is a follow-up step to the relocation of the presidential office.

The ministry will also ease 17,000 square meters in the Gunja-dong area of Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, from a controlled protection zone to a restricted protection zone, citing the existing settlement of residential communities there and the minimal impact on military operations.

Flight safety zones around Susaek Airfield and Jochiwon Airfield will also be partially lifted. Susaek Airfield, which no longer needs to function as a support air operations base for wartime and peacetime use, will be reclassified from a support air operations base to a helicopter-only operations base, and 19.82 million square meters of its flight safety zone will be lifted.

The flight safety zone lifting at Susaek is scheduled to coincide with an amendment to the enforcement decree of the Military Bases and Installations Protection Act — which governs the classification of air operations bases — set for the second half of this year. At Jochiwon Airfield, 695,000 square meters of flight safety zone over the existing runway will be lifted in line with a project to consolidate and relocate the Jochiwon and Yeongi airfields.

The lifted or eased protection zones will take effect after publication in the Official Gazette on Wednesday. Topographic maps and detailed lot numbers for the affected areas can be viewed at the relevant local governments and military units.

"We will continue to rationally adjust military facility protection zones within the bounds of what does not hinder military operations, so that we can improve residents' lives and develop together with local communities," the ministry said.