Gimpo mayor urges government to expand peace economy zone, fund border infrastructure

Gimpo Mayor Lee Gi-hyeong has formally asked the government to designate the Gimpo Daegot Environmental Regeneration Innovation Complex as an additional peace economy special zone and to provide state funding for infrastructure in the border region.

Lee attended the second Border Area Peace and Safety Joint Conference, held Monday at Government Complex Seoul, where he presented the proposals in discussions with the Ministry of Unification and other relevant ministries on ways to develop the border region.

The meeting brought together officials from the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Interior and Safety, metropolitan governments including Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province, and the Border Area Mayors and County Chiefs Council to discuss security and economic revitalization in the border region.

Lee stressed the need to designate the Daegot Environmental Regeneration Innovation Complex as an additional peace economy special zone.

He said the complex is well positioned for such a designation given a large-scale development project underway by Korea Water Resources Corporation and strong transport links including the Gyeyang–Ganghwado Expressway and the Seoul Metropolitan Area Second Beltway. If designated, he said, the zone could generate synergies with existing development projects in the area.

Lee also said the complex could simultaneously foster advanced industries and peace industries, attract businesses, create jobs and develop into a new growth hub for northern Gimpo.

"Border areas have long endured various regulations and sacrifices for national security," Lee said. "The government's policy support is now needed to transform them into growth hubs where peace and economic development can coexist."

Lee also requested state funding for the Bogugot seawall, which serves a national security function.

The Bogugot seawall in Gimpo plays an important role in military operations and coastal defense, yet local governments bear the full cost of its upkeep.

Coastal erosion and wave overtopping have recently damaged sections of the seawall, raising concerns that typhoons or heavy rainfall could cause further deterioration and flood nearby farmland.

Lee asked the government to cover the roughly 10 billion won ($6.82 million) cost of repair work and to consider transferring management of border-area flood-control facilities to the central government.

"The Bogugot seawall is not simply a local facility — it is a core piece of infrastructure that simultaneously safeguards national security and residents' safety," Lee said. "Because it performs a national role, the government needs to actively provide fiscal support and improve its management framework."

Lee also included in his proposals the removal of military fences along the stretch from Daemyeong Port to Buraedo.

Military fences remain in place along that section, while the opposite shore on Ganghwado is managed without them. A nearby stretch from Choji Bridge to the Incheon city boundary is already being cleared in connection with the Ministry of National Defense's Alert Modernization project.

"I requested that the government actively review a phased removal of the fences around Daemyeong Port, based on a science-based alert system, so that residents' safety and regional development can advance together," Lee said.