Hwaseong City Walks with Citizens to Resolve Key Issues

A 30km coastal route from the Dinosaur Egg Fossil Site, designated as National Treasure No. 414, to Maehyangri was filled with waves of Hwaseong citizens' trekking groups seeking to resolve regional issues.

Under the theme "Hwaseong City, Walking Toward a Better Future," this was truly a pilgrimage path for citizens, examining step by step the gem-like locations along Hwaseong's West Coast and envisioning the future of Hwaseong City.

Held on the 31st of last month, this event followed last year's 522km National Land March aimed at attracting the National Museum of Natural History, implementing seawater exchange in Hwaseong Lake, and securing national funding for the Maehyangri Peace Ecology Park. This year's event proceeded as a "sharing and communication event" walking together through the three major issue areas and the Grape Festival site.

The Dinosaur Museum Construction Declaration Ceremony, which began at 8 a.m., was held as an event to attract the National Museum of Natural History, including activities such as making a hope map and tying time capsules. Additionally, videos of the previous 522km National Land March and award-winning entries from a Korea Keratops hwaseongensis character UCC contest were screened.

Approximately 2,000 citizens in the trekking group departed from the Dinosaur Egg Fossil Site and passed through Dangseong, the Korean departure point of the ancient Silk Road, proceeded through the Songsan Grape Festival venue, stopped at the Seoshin-myeon office for lunch, and headed to Gungpyeong Port, where the Hwaseong Grape Festival was being held. Visitors at the festival site enjoyed a sweet and pleasant break, tasting grapes together with fellow citizens and celebrating the festival.

Hwaseong Mayor Chae In-seok said, "Because our citizens are united in praying for the resolution of three major issues—attracting the National Museum of Natural History, implementing seawater exchange in Hwaseong Lake, and securing national funding for the Maehyangri Peace Ecology Park—we will achieve good results like Hwaseong's premium grapes that have been well-ripened under summer sunlight."

Receiving applause from tourists and citizens at the Hwaseong Grape Festival, the citizen trekking group departed from Gungpyeong Port and entered the 9.8km long embankment road. Here, they reflected on the justification for seawater exchange in Hwaseong Lake and headed to Maehyangri, where the Peace Arts Festival was being held.

With the hope that no more suffering from war would occur, the citizen trekking group at Maehyangri, where a peace park will be established, walked together for 30km, sharing the love for their region and joy of completion that had been built throughout the day, encouraging one another.

Through this event where participants felt with their bodies and shared with their hearts, the city has decided to establish concrete plans and strategies to create a better future by stringing together one by one the precious stones of the West Coast.

To resolve the three key issues, the city first plans to pursue the construction of a storage facility starting in 2014 to display and research approximately 690 dinosaur fossils excavated through Korea-Mongolia international dinosaur expeditions conducted since 2006 for attracting the National Museum of Natural History.

Regarding the freshwater conversion decision for Hwaseong Lake being deferred until 2016, seawater exchange consultation was conducted. The results of a supplementary measures review indicated that freshwater lake creation would cause destruction of migratory bird habitats due to vegetation changes in reclaimed land, changes in aquatic ecosystems, water quality deterioration from eutrophication, and damage to nearby marine ecosystems and aquaculture farms from temporary freshwater discharge. Accordingly, the city plans to make efforts for seawater exchange by establishing specific utilization plans for reclaimed land and forming consensus among local residents by the mid-2016 evaluation period.

Finally, to secure national funding for the Maehyangri Peace Ecology Park, the city enacted and promulgated an ordinance for the Maehyangri Peace Ecology Park Promotion Committee. Through these ongoing efforts, the city will work to ensure that the "Maehyangri Support Special Act" currently pending in the National Assembly is enacted promptly, and plans to pursue land acquisition for the Maehyangri Peace Ecology Park beginning in the second half of 2013.