EXPANSION OF YONGSAN PARK

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Yongsan Park which is now a national park has expanded in size. The government plans to further open to the public some time next year parts of U.S. military bases that have been recently returned to South Korea. A new name for the park will be determined through online public voting.

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This summer, living quarters of U.S. military officers stationed in Korea became open to the public. The Korea Land and Housing Corporation operated the rental homes for U.S. military personnel. The government has now regained possession of the facilities. The site has been transformed into an historical and cultural space, already visited by some 5,000 citizens.

[Soundbite] YOO HONG-JUN(JOINT CIVIC CHAIR, YONGSAN PARK STEERING COMMITTEE) : "It’s the first time in 116 years since 1904, when Japanese troops were stationed here. We are inching closer to the original form of Yongsan Park."

Thirteen other yet to be unveiled buildings will be newly opened in the latter half of next year. The new venue will be changed to rest areas, nature or camp sites, or a space for cultural or artistic activities. New ways to utilize a recently returned sports arena inside a US army base will also be reviewed. The site for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration measuring some 100-thousand square meters has also been newly incorporated. So the total ground space of Yongsan Park becomes a whopping 3 million square meters. Green areas stretching from Namsan Mountain to the Hangang River are expected to be fully restored. The new park will get a new name. An online voting event for citizens was held to decide on the new name. The final candidates include Yongsan Park, Yongsan National Park, Yongsan Neulpum Park and Yongsan Open Park. The decision will be made in the first half of next year. A related committee will also form a citizen-participatory task force of 300 members next year to receive opinions on the future direction of the park.