Gyeonggi Province Removes Illegally Operated Containers at Siheung's Oido Port After 20 Years

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province has begun harbor maintenance work, including the removal of illegally operated containers at Siheung's Oido Port, to create 'Clean Gyeonggi Waters.'

On the 27th, removal work on illegally placed containers began at Siheung's Oido Port. Oido Port is a local fishing port with 59 registered fishing vessels and a major tourism destination in the Seoul metropolitan area, attracting 1.86 million visitors annually. Within the harbor, approximately 76 illegal commercial tents and 43 containers had been operating for the past 20 years. Gyeonggi Province, Siheung City, and the Oido Fishing Village Association reached consensus on harbor maintenance and agreed on voluntary removal.

Removal schedules for illegal tents are expected to be coordinated soon, and safety fences and other convenience facilities will be installed on the cleared harbor site. Additionally, Oido Port has been selected as a target site for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Rural Fisheries New Deal 300 project and is simultaneously pursuing harbor development projects under the theme of 'Preserving Oido Urban Fishing Village,' with plans to develop the area so that residents can feel closer to the sea.

Kim Hee-gyeom, First Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited Oido Port that day to observe the removal work and inspect the surrounding area. Subsequently, Vice Mayor Cha Gwang-hoe of Siheung City and local residents of Oido attended a meeting on 'Creating Clean Gyeonggi Waters,' where enforcement plans for cracking down on illegal coastal activities were explained and residents' opinions were heard.

Vice Governor Kim stated at the meeting, "Siheung's Oido Port will become a model case for eliminating illegal activities," and added, "We will make continuous efforts to return clean waters to the people of Gyeonggi Province."

Previously, the Province has been encouraging voluntary removal of illegal matters at fishing harbors, shared water surfaces, and beaches since the 6th, and plans to eliminate illegal activities through strong enforcement starting in August. Illegal facilities within fishing harbors are subject to imprisonment of up to two years or fines not exceeding 20 million won under the Fishing Port Act, while illegal activities on shared water surfaces carry sentences of up to three years imprisonment or fines not exceeding 30 million won.

Lee Sang-woo, Director of the Marine and Fisheries Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Coastal areas and fishing harbors are shared resources used by 13.7 million residents of Gyeonggi Province," and added, "We will eliminate illegal activities such as unlicensed facilities to create clean Gyeonggi waters and ensure residents can use them freely."