Lee Ki-hyung, mayor of Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province, attended the "Second Border Region Peace and Safety Joint Conference" held at the Seoul Government Complex on the 27th, where he formally proposed to the government the additional designation of a peace economic special zone, state funding for repair work on the Boguot seawall, and the removal of military fencing around the Daemyeong Port area.
The conference, hosted by the Ministry of Unification, was arranged to discuss measures for maintaining peace and revitalizing the economy in border regions. Participants included the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, metropolitan local governments such as Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, and the Council of Mayors and County Governors of Border Regions.
Mayor Lee requested the additional designation of a peace economic special zone for Gimpo's Daegot Environmental Regeneration Innovation Complex. The complex is an area where Korea Water Resources Corporation is pursuing a large-scale development project, and it is adjacent to the Gyeyang-Ganghwa Expressway and the Second Metropolitan Outer Ring Expressway.
"If the policy foundation of a peace economic special zone is added, we can pursue regional economic revitalization with momentum through synergy effects with the existing development projects," Lee said.
Lee also requested state funding for repair work on the Boguot seawall. The seawall serves an important function in national security and the execution of military operations, but local governments bear the entire cost of its maintenance and management. Recently, some sections have been washed away due to coastal erosion and wave overtopping, raising concerns about flooding damage to farmland in the event of a natural disaster.
Lee proposed that the government provide state funding for the repair work, which totals 10 billion won, and also review a plan to transfer the management authority for local seawall facilities in border regions to the central government.
He also formally requested the removal of military fencing in the Daemyeong Port-Buraedo section. Currently, first-line fencing remains in this section, while the opposite Ganghwa Island section is managed without fencing. "I request an active review so that we can achieve both residents' safety and regional development by phasing out the fencing around the Daemyeong Port area in line with a scientific surveillance system," Lee said.
In addition, Lee called for the continued operation of the Cheongryong Hall for the welfare of border region residents. "We must now transform border regions from spaces of regulation and sacrifice into growth hubs where peace and the economy coexist," he stressed.
