[Editor's Pick] Massive Lifting of Military Protection Zones; Defense Ministry Vows to "Minimize Civilian Inconvenience"

Bulam-dong village in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province.

To the west, just over the mountain, lies Seoul's Nowon District, and the neighboring village has been developed into the Byeollae New Town. However, Bulam-dong remains designated as a "restricted protection zone" for military reasons.

Even when building a house, residents cannot exceed a height of 10 meters, leaving most of the village filled with aging homes.

[Park Heung-yeol / Resident of Bulam-dong, Namyangju: They designated this as a restricted protection zone because it serves as the final defensive line for the approach from the North while protecting the capital.]

The Ministry of National Defense has decided to significantly lift these restricted protection zones, including areas like Bulam-dong.

The plan is to keep only the areas strictly necessary for military purposes under protection while lifting restrictions on the rest to allow for development.

[Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of National Defense: As a result, it is expected that restricted protection zones equivalent to approximately 150 times the size of Yeouido (in Seoul) will be lifted...]

The Civilian Control Line (CCL), which currently extends an average of 8 km south of the Military Demarcation Line, will also be reduced to an average of 6 km.

With this change, an area 90 times the size of Yeouido, where access was once difficult—let alone development—will be converted into "restricted protection zones" where access will be free and development restrictions will be eased.

The total area to benefit from the adjustment of the CCL and the lifting of restricted protection zones is 240 times the size of Yeouido. Specific areas for adjustment and lifting will be finalized sequentially starting at the end of this year to prevent real estate speculation.

[Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of National Defense: Starting in the second half of this year, we will proceed sequentially, beginning with areas where preparations are complete following operational reviews and topographical surveys by each unit...]

Military obstacles such as anti-tank barriers in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, and Paju, Gyeonggi Province, will also be removed starting next year, beginning with 23 locations where military necessity has diminished.

Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defense plans to minimize civilian inconvenience caused by the military by significantly simplifying flight approval and authorization procedures for agricultural drones and revamping the Civilian Control Line access management system to allow for online and mobile app-based processing.

Finally, after decades... "A massive 150 times the size of Yeouido" (June 17, 2026, 8 O'Clock News)

Reported by Kim Tae-hoon | Written by Kim Da-yeon | Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Jung Sung-hoon
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.