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

[Suwon Ilbo=Park Nohoon Reporter] On the afternoon of the 24th, Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited Geobuk Island in Yangpyeong County, where demolition work on illegal river and valley facilities is underway, to inspect the progress of the demolition and encourage those involved.
According to the province, this field visit reflects Governor Lee's determination to push forward with demolition to the end in order to eliminate illegal activities in river valleys, which Gyeonggi Province is currently implementing.

Geobuk Island, spanning 240,000 square meters in Daesim-ri, Yangseong-myeon, Yangpyeong County, is located in a doubly and triply restricted area including a water source protection zone, a development restriction zone, and a national river zone. It had operated 37 illegal facilities for decades before being detected during the province's clean valley restoration project, and demolition is currently underway. It is the largest illegal facility operation area in Gyeonggi Province in terms of single area.
Geobuk Island has a mix of private and national land, and the owner, regardless of the distinction, installed a total of 37 illegal facilities including 9 buildings, 6 bathrooms, 4 containers, 2 bridges, and 1 Mongolian tent.
Since 2009, Yangpyeong County has been promoting the demolition of facilities by reporting them to judicial authorities for violations of the River Act (river zones), the Special Act on the Designation and Management of Development Restriction Zones (Green Belt), and the Water Supply Act (water source protection zones).

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

After completing the field inspection, Governor Lee Jae-myung said, “It is surprising and regrettable that such large-scale illegal facilities have been left unattended,” and “It would be desirable for Yangpyeong County to develop this place into an ecological park so that many people can visit and enjoy this beautiful natural environment.”

Gyeonggi Province has designated the ‘Clean Valley Restoration Project’ as a key priority project and has been implementing measures to eliminate illegal activities in rivers and valleys since last year.
As of the 18th, 1,432 illegal businesses were detected across 25 cities and counties, and 1,323 illegal facilities, accounting for 92.4%, have been demolished.
The province is providing substantial support for voluntary demolition and imposing strong penalties for non-compliance with demolition orders. At the same time, it is promoting the Living SOC project for enhancing utilization and supporting local residents after valley improvement, focusing on creating ‘clean and desirable rivers and valleys’ for visitation.

In relation to this, the governor posted an article on social media in December last year with the title ‘You can look forward to clean valleys next summer.’
In that post, the governor stated, “The day when we can return cleaned-up valleys to our residents is not far away. I extend my gratitude to all those who have cooperated and made efforts,” and added, “When the valleys are clean, more people will come to rest, won't they? We will eliminate illegal activities while revitalizing both local tourism and the economy through various projects.”