25% of Yongsan Garrison to be returned before Biden’s Seoul visit

South Korea and the U.S. are expected to agree on the return of the western site of South Post located near the new office of the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul before U.S. President Joe Biden visits South Korea next month. If the agreement is reached, about 500,000 square meters of land, equivalent to 25 percent of the U.S. base in Yongsan, will be returned. The site to be returned includes the No. 13 gate of the U.S. base near Ichon station, a road leading to the new office, and several plots nearby. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will begin his work in the temporary office on the fifth floor of the new office from the first day of his inauguration on May 10.

According to several sources of the South Korean government and the U.S. Forces in Korea on Wednesday, South Korea and the U.S. are discussing details to return the U.S. base in Yongsan. It has been known that the two countries are trying to achieve an agreement to have 25 percent of the entire site returned by the third week of May, which is right before President Biden’s visit to South Korea.

At the moment, only 10 percent of the total site has been returned. The two countries agreed in July last year on the return of 500,000 square meters of land in the first half of this year but there has been no known progress. If the two countries reach an agreement to have additional 290,000 square meters of land returned by the end of May, the target to return 25 percent in the first half of this year will be achieved.

It was reported that the land to be returned through the recent discussion includes multiple plots of the U.S. base in the southwest of the new office. The No. 13 gate of the U.S. base near Ichon station and the road leading to the new office will also be returned. The No. 13 gate is about 900 meters away in lineal distance from the new office.

Once multiple plots in the southwest of the new office are returned, the foundation for the president-elect to communicate freely with the public near his office will be created. President-elect Yoon previously announced a plan to move the presidential office and said that he would create a park by connecting the site of the Ministry of National Defense and the site of the U.S. base to be returned.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com