U.S. Embassy to Be Constructed on Yongsan Base

Camp Coiner in Yongsan Garrison has essentially been selected as a new site for the U.S. Embassy.

“Government suggested land in Central Seoul as a candidate site for the U.S. Embassy, and the U.S. has agreed even though the site is not downtown,” acting President and Prime Minister Goh Kun said to the press yesterday when asked whether U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney requested the land in Central Seoul as one of the candidate sites during his visit to Korea. Goh said relocation of the U.S. Embassy is virtually settled.

When asked if Camp Coiner in Yongsan Garrison was an alternative candidate site for relocation of U.S. Embassy, Goh said, “There will not be any problems.”

“Camp Coiner near Yongsan District in Seoul has 67,000 pyeong land and sufficient space to build the residential apartment units for embassy staff as well as U.S. Embassy building,” the government said.

The government is expected to trade the Defense Ministry’s land on Camp Coiner for the site of a former women’s high school, owned by U.S. government.

It was additionally disclosed that although the U.S. government purchased the site of a former women’s high school near an old palace site in 1987 in order to relocate the U.S. Embassy in downtown Seoul, the relocation decision was suspended based on the fact that this site once housed an ancient palace.

The Cultural Properties Protection Committee has considered the site of the former women’s high school as a possibility for relocation.

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com