Experts urge swift return of Yongsan base and US facilities to complete park
A Seoul forum of scholars and NGOs pressed for faster U.S. talks to reclaim the whole Yongsan military base, including Dragon Hill Lodge and the embassy site, before finalizing its future use.
At a public debate in Seoul, academics and environmental groups urged the government to speed up talks with the United States to obtain the entire Yongsan military site, noting that the current return rate stands at roughly 31%. They insisted that the Dragon Hill Lodge, its dedicated access land and the former embassy staff residence, all still under U.S. control, must be included in the handover. Participants suggested that incorporating the U.S. embassy grounds would greatly improve the park’s northern access.
Beyond the base, the speakers advocated for relocating the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the former Camp Koener in Chungnam, a move long discussed in policy circles. If all military and diplomatic lands, totaling about 580,000 ㎡, were added, Yongsan Park could expand to over 3.5 million ㎡, surpassing New York’s Central Park. The overall message was that a complete return is essential before any detailed debate on the park’s design and purpose can proceed.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage emphasizes expert calls for a swift, comprehensive return of the Yongsan site to complete a park, while right-leaning coverage highlights the mayor’s condemnation of park development as selfish and defends the park as a shared national resource.
LEFT
Experts are urging the government to quickly secure the entire Yongsan military and diplomatic lands to finish the park.
RIGHT
The mayor frames park development as a selfish crime against future generations and defends the park as a shared national resource.
The left emphasises
- urged the government to speed up talks with the United States
- current return rate stands at roughly 31%
- insisted that Dragon Hill Lodge and former embassy grounds be included
The right emphasises
- Yongsan Park should remain a shared national resource
- apartment construction is a crime against future generations
- development is the real selfish act
