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Hwaseong City Council’s special committee has taken a stand against Suwon’s push to relocate its military airbase to Hwaseong.
On the 10th, the committee issued a stern rebuke of Suwon City’s recent proposals to the federal government. These proposals included designating the Suwon Air Base relocation as a national strategic project and establishing a government-wide task force to oversee the move.
The announcement drew 11 attendees, including council members Kim Young-soo, Jeong Heung-beom, Kim Sang-kyun, Kim Jong-bok, Bae Jeong-soo, Song Sun-young, Lee Yong-woon, Jo Oh-soon, and representatives from local civic groups.
During the meeting, Co-Chair Kim Young-soo blasted Suwon City for its unilateral actions. “On December 8 last year, Suwon City bypassed Hwaseong entirely, submitting a joint request to the Ministry of Defense to designate the air base relocation as a national strategic project,” Kim stated. “Last month, they doubled down, proposing the same to the Prime Minister. This is a clear attempt to offload the responsibility onto the federal government, piggybacking on the Gwangju Air Base relocation task force.”
Co-Chair Jeong Heung-beom read aloud the committee’s resolution, declaring, “This relocation project tramples on democratic principles, proceeding without any input or consent from Hwaseong residents. It lacks both legal standing and procedural integrity.” Jeong emphasized, “This is a flagrant violation of Hwaseong’s right to self-governance and cannot be allowed to proceed as a federally-led initiative.”
Following the announcement, council members rallied with chants of “No to Suwon Air Base in Hwaseong!” and “Revoke the Hwawong District’s preliminary relocation site status now!”
The controversy dates back to February 16, 2017, when the Ministry of Defense unilaterally designated Hwaseong’s Hwawong District as a potential relocation site for Suwon Air Base, without any prior consultation with Hwaseong City.
In response, the Hwaseong City Council has spent the past nine years demanding the withdrawal of this designation and consistently opposing any plans to relocate Suwon Air Base to Hwaseong.
Looking ahead, the special committee plans to maintain its opposition through June, continuing its efforts to block the air base relocation.
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