Regulations on plant construction to be eased

By Yoon Ja-young

The government will drastically relax regulations on plant construction near metropolitan areas as part of steps to help boost investment, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday.

Construction projects on railways and roads near the border with North Korea will also include preparations for unification with the North.

“We will push for strong deregulation so as not to miss the golden hour for economic renovation,” said Vice Minister Yeo Hyung-ku Tuesday.

First of all, it will ease rules on the construction of factories in some non-urban areas. Except for plots designated as “industrial zones” in urban areas, the government has been restricting construction of factories. For instance, bleaching or dying factories or those using chemicals are banned in those designated as specially managed zones in non-urban areas.

However, there is great demand to build factories in these areas, especially around Seoul. The ministry said that instead of a ban, it will allow construction of factories unlikely to cause pollution. The measure is expected to lead to around 1 trillion won in investments over the next three years, according to the ministry.

Preparing for unification with the North is another major task for this year. First of all, the government will move forward with a project to construct railways from Baekma Highland in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, and a highway from Munsan in Gyeonggi Province, to the Southern Limit Line. The railway was part of the Gyeongwon Line that linked Seoul and Wonsan in North Korea, but was severed and destroyed during the Korean War.

Jointly with the unification ministry, it will set a master plan to develop the whole Korean Peninsula.

On top of encouraging buying homes by offering ultra-low interest rate mortgages, the government said it will expand supply of rental homes as well to stabilize the livelihood of the working class. A total of 120,000 rental homes will be supplied this year, which is 20 percent more than last year.

To improve the residential condition in old towns, it will facilitate reconstruction of old apartments into new homes. Incentives will be given as well.

Pulling down the death toll in traffic accidents to below 4,500 annually is another major target. For this, it plans to make it mandatory to fasten seat belts in any seat of any car, on any kind of road. It also plans to build more rest areas for sleepy drivers.