[Suwon Ilbo=Shin Eun-seop] Ganghwa County announced on the 14th that it will consolidate and relocate military checkpoints, a long-standing demand of border area residents, and will substantially expand tourism and cultural infrastructure facilities.
The county completed consultations with the Ministry of National Defense and local military units and added that it plans to invest 500 million won in the project to complete the consolidation and relocation of checkpoints in the first half of the year.
The checkpoint in Sinbong-ri, Hajeum-myeon, which currently causes significant inconvenience to residents, will be closed and consolidated with the Gyeodong Bridge checkpoint, while checkpoints in Dangsan-ri, Songhae-myeon and Cheolsan-ri, Yangsa-myeon will be relocated near the Peace Observatory for integrated operation.
Once the checkpoint consolidation and relocation is completed, it is expected that living conditions for border area residents suffering from chronic traffic congestion will improve and visitor satisfaction with tourism will be enhanced.
In line with the military checkpoint consolidation and relocation, the county plans to substantially reinforce cultural and tourism infrastructure facilities that are lacking in border areas.
In Yangsa-myeon, projects include the North-South 1.8 Center (2 billion won), Sani Port Folk Village Development Project (9 billion won), and Gyo-san-ri Public Parking Lot Development (1.6 billion won). In Hajeum-myeon, projects include Ganghwu Elementary School Cultural Regeneration Project and Construction of Stargazing Observatory (6.5 billion won) and Changhu Port Fishing Village New Deal Project (9.4 billion won).
Additionally, in Gyeodong-myeon, following the completion of the Songam Park Du-sung Birthplace Restoration Project, the county is on the verge of completing the Hwagae Garden and Observatory Development Project (38 billion won), which will establish itself as a landmark for Ganghwa County.
A county official stated, "We will continue to consult with military units within parameters that do not compromise security and safety to resolve residents' inconveniences," and added, "We will do our best to substantially create tourism and cultural infrastructure facilities that are lacking in the northern region so that it can achieve balanced development and growth with the southern region."