Roh Backs Base Conversion Into Park

“Putting the Yongsan U.S. military base to practical use has a historical significance. I believe we will be able to obtain good results if we respect Seoul’s opinion on city planning and attach a historical meaning to the project,” said President Roh Moo-hyun at the “Conference on the Pending Issues of National Affairs,” attended by 16 city and province governors on Tuesday.

President Roh’s statement will put weight on Seoul city’s opinion to convert the entire Yongsan U.S. military base into a park.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation proposed the “Special Act on the Promotion of Yongsan National History Park,” which divides the base into three sectors – a park zone, a complex development zone, and a surrounding zone – of which the complex development zone is to be created for commercial, business, and residential purposes.

To this, Seoul insisted on creating a park out of the entire Yongsan base.

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