Military Eases Restrictions on Protection Zones
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced plans Tuesday to ease restrictions on military protection zones as part of programs to ensure people's property rights.
Under the plan, the JCS will ease restrictions on parts of 25-square-kilometer areas near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
Military restricted zones will be designated in key military facilities, not from the outskirts of military posts, according to the plan.
Local military units will be encouraged to coordinate the construction of buildings in restricted zones in a positive manner, it said.
These measures will take effect from Feb. 1.
Last year, the Ministry of National Defense unveiled plans to lift bans on military protection zones. Under the measures, military units will build onsite baseball parks or soccer fields that local citizens will be able to use.
Firing ranges and archeological sites on military posts will be open to the public under the plans.
There were a total of 6,485 military facilities nationwide. Of them, 3,896, or 60 percent, are used for training. Military restricted zones account for 9.1 percent of the nation's territory.