Lee Jae-myung Conducts Thorough Inspection at Site of Illegal Facility Demolition in Province's Largest Valley

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Noh-hun] Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung visited Geobuk Island in Yangpyeong County on the afternoon of the 24th, where demolition work on illegal facilities in streams and valleys is underway, to inspect the progress and encourage those involved.
The province explained that the site visit reflects Governor Lee's determination to push ahead with demolition to the end in order to eliminate illegal activities in streams and valleys that the province is implementing.

Geobuk Island, covering an area of 240,000 square meters in the Daeshim-ri area of Yangseo-myeon, Yangpyeong County, operated 37 illegal facilities over several decades within an area restricted on multiple levels as a water source protection zone, greenbelt area, and national river zone. It was detected during the province's clean valley restoration project and is currently undergoing active demolition. It is the largest single-area illegal facility operation site in Gyeonggi Province.
Geobuk Island has a mix of private and public land, and the owner installed a total of 37 illegal facilities without distinction: 9 buildings, 6 restrooms, 4 containers, 2 bridges, and 1 Mongolian tent.
Since 2009, Yangpyeong County has been pushing for demolition of the facilities, including referring the case to judicial authorities on charges of violating the River Act (river zones), the Special Act on Designation and Management of Greenbelt Areas, and the Water Supply Act (water source protection zones).

The sluggish demolition of illegal facilities gained momentum after Governor Lee Jae-myung launched the clean valley restoration project last year. Of the total 37 illegal facilities, 15 have been demolished, including rest facilities and Mongolian tents, and 22 facilities are currently being demolished.
Gyeonggi Province and Yangpyeong County plan to forcibly demolish all remaining illegal facilities through administrative enforcement after the end of March, the voluntary demolition period.

After completing the site inspection, Governor Lee said, "I am surprised and saddened that illegal facilities were left unattended on such a large scale," and added, "It would be desirable for Yangpyeong County to develop this site as an ecological park to preserve its beautiful natural environment and attract more visitors."

Gyeonggi Province has designated the 'Clean Valley Restoration Project' as a priority initiative and has been implementing measures to eliminate illegal activities in streams and valleys since last year.
As of the 18th, the province detected 1,432 illegal business establishments across 25 cities and counties and completed the demolition of 1,323 illegal facilities, representing 92.4% completion.
The province is providing substantial support for voluntary demolitions and strictly penalizing non-compliance with demolition orders, while also working to create "clean and appealing streams and valleys" by promoting Living SOC project competitions for activating valley usage and supporting local residents after valley cleanup.

In relation to this, Governor Lee posted a message titled "You can look forward to clean valleys next summer" on social media in December of last year.
In the post, the governor stated, "The day is not far off when we can return clean valleys to all residents of the province. I extend my gratitude to everyone who cooperated and made efforts," and added, "Once the valleys are clean, more people will visit for rest and relaxation. We will eliminate illegal activities while revitalizing both regional tourism and the economy through various projects."