Osan City and Buoyoung Group Discuss Utilization of Former Gyeseong Paper Mill Site

[Suwon Ilbo=Park Chan-hyeok] Osan City recently visited Buoyoung Group to explain plans for utilizing the former Gyeseong Paper Mill site being pursued at the city level and requested their cooperation.

Mayor Lee Gwon-jae of Osan City visited Buoyoung Group's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 11th, held talks with Chairman Lee Jung-keun (founder), and conveyed these matters.

At the meeting, Mayor Lee stated, "I appreciate Buoyoung Group's recognition of the future value of the Osan Station Quad transit zone and efforts to build a landmark on the Gyeseong Paper Mill site. However, I hope you will take interest in proactively remedying and utilizing the site ahead of the development project," he expressed.

In response, Chairman Lee Jung-keun replied, "We will review and cooperate on areas where Buoyoung Group can provide assistance."

Subsequently, Mayor Lee proposed △usage of temporary parking lots within the site and △demolition of structures on idle land from an urban aesthetics improvement perspective.

The temporary parking lot proposal aims to utilize space on idle land to establish a temporary parking lot for citizens transferring to subway Line 1 or buses from Osan Station, thereby enhancing citizen convenience.

The demolition of structures on idle land is being pursued with the goal of improving urban aesthetics by demolishing factory buildings that have been left abandoned and become eyesores, as well as preventing slum formation and ensuring citizen safety.

Additionally, the city emphasized the need for bilateral cooperation on major processes including △forward-looking development plans and strategies for the factory idle land, △establishment of development plans based on the fundamental direction of Osan Station transit zone activation, and △compensation work in relation to the implementation of cross-railroad road construction projects.

Meanwhile, the Gyeseong Paper Mill site is a general industrial area of approximately 110,000 square meters—about the size of 15 soccer fields—in the vicinity of 637 Osan-dong, having remained abandoned for nearly 15 years.

In that context, Mayor Lee Gwon-jae began formulating urban rebuilding plans shortly after taking office in his eighth term, targeting the Gyeseong Paper Mill site as one location.

The Gyeseong Paper Mill site is situated within Osan Station's transit zone and has value to become a Quad transit zone should the GTX-C line extension to Osan, Suwon-originated KTX service to Osan, and urban rail transit (tram) all materialize.

In response, the city has worked to establish a Osan Station complex on the Gyeseong Paper Mill site in collaboration with Buoyoung as part of its vision for a self-sufficient Connect City with a population of 500,000, and has strived to activate the site.

Mayor Lee visited Buoyoung Group's headquarters in December of last year to conduct first talks with Chairman Lee Jung-keun, and in February, held a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the city hall's Mulhyanggi Room with Chairman Lee Hee-beom in attendance, focusing on swift development of the Gyeseong Paper Mill site.