Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon (second from right) on Dec. 23 speaks at Government Complex Seoul in the inaugural meeting of a committee for building a national park on the site of a U.S. military base in the capital set for relocation. (Office for Government Policy Coordination)

By Kim Minji

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Dec. 23 chaired at Government Complex Seoul the first meeting of a committee for building a national park on the site of a U.S. military base in the capital set for relocation.

Co-chaired by the committee's chairman, Myongji University professor Yoo Hong-jun, the meeting saw the committee propose that the government regain control of Yongsan-gu District, where the U.S. military's Yongsan Garrison is located, to build the park and expand the latter's boundaries from 2.43 million square meters to 3.03 million. The district would also include the National Museum of Korea near the garrison and the War Memorial of Korea.

The area with apartments rented by the U.S. Forces Korea for about 33 years will be turned into an interactive zone containing an exhibition hall and a library, and will be opened to the public from next year's latter half.

The bus tour inside the Yongsan base will also be transformed into a themed group course taking young people and area residents to isolated areas within the garrison.

Moreover, the committee announced plans to manage buildings that need retention by the latter half of next year by conducting safety inspections and 3D filming on structures with high historical value, such as the former U.S. military complex.

Stressing the significance of the envisioned park, the prime minister said, "(The Yongsan base) most symbolically represents the nation's up-and-down modern history because Japanese, North Korean and U.S. forces have been stationed here (at one time or another) for over a century since 1904."

He added that when the ecological park is completed, "it will be transformed into a space where people recall and overcome the nation's tragic history and dream of the future." 

kimmj7725@korea.kr