Construction halted again at Gangwon Province's planned new headquarters site in Chuncheon

'Collapse of Chuncheon's old city center inevitable if relocation proceeds'

Civic group's report of additional artifacts triggers second lawful work stoppage

Construction equipment has been cleared from the Goeun-ri site in Chuncheon where Gangwon Province plans to build its new headquarters, as seen Tuesday. Because access road work was the only active phase at the time, the financial loss to Gangwon Province from the stoppage or a potential abandonment of the project is expected to be limited.

Artifacts recovered from the Goeun-ri site to date. The density of finds is so high that new objects turn up with nearly every step taken across the site, and experts say deeper excavation could well reveal additional structural remains.

Construction of Gangwon Province's planned new headquarters at the Goeun-ri site in Chuncheon was halted again Tuesday — the second work stoppage since September — as artifacts spanning prehistoric to medieval periods continue to surface at the densely packed site.

The civic group Jungdo Bonbu, which first reported artifact discoveries on Sept. 1, found 23 additional suspected buried cultural heritage objects at the Goeun-ri construction site on Oct. 26 and reported them to the city of Chuncheon, while also requesting emergency on-site inspections and preservation measures from the Cultural Heritage Administration and Gangwon Province. Chuncheon city responded by ordering the second work stoppage Tuesday after reviewing the matter.

A Chuncheon city official confirmed the halt in a phone call with Kim Jong-mun, the head of Jungdo Bonbu and the person who filed the report, saying the city had "ordered appropriate action in accordance with the law" and that "Gangwon Province is also aware of the matter."

The latest stoppage comes after the 23 newly discovered objects were found in addition to the 431 artifacts already recovered from the site.

Construction had previously been suspended from Sept. 2 through Oct. 12 following the initial discovery of the 431 artifacts. Work resumed in mid-October after analysis and preservation efforts for those objects got underway, only to be halted again with the new finds.

The relocation project, pushed forward by the eighth elected provincial administration, has faced criticism for being rushed, and lawsuits challenging its procedural and legal basis — and calling for its cancellation — are currently pending. The current ninth elected provincial leadership had also previously commented critically on the relocation plan.

Analysts have also noted that rebuilding the provincial headquarters on its current site would not only help prevent the decline of Chuncheon's old city center, but would save 150 billion won compared with the 500 billion won ($373 million) Goeun-ri relocation plan.

"The continued discovery of artifacts at the Goeun-ri project site makes the work stoppage an entirely appropriate measure," Jungdo Bonbu said. "What is needed now is a thorough on-site investigation of the newly discovered locations and surrounding areas, along with proper preservation of the cultural remains."

The group said it plans to verify with the relevant authorities that the work stoppage and on-site preservation measures are being carried out, and to call for additional excavation surveys and an independent expert inspection of the site.

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