By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Gangwon Province is seeking permission from the central government to launch an inter-Korean project to set up a large park in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that will include facilities for solar energy research and resort areas for tourists.
According to the draft plan, the province will spend some 12 billion won ($11.5 million) to build the park, dubbed ``Joint Sunshine Area (JSA),'' which will span a 16,000-square-meter zone near an overland route connecting Goseong in Gangwon Province and the Mt. Geumgan tourism complex in the North.
The ideal location for the park is the 4-kilometer-wide military buffer zone between immigration offices set up by the two Koreas at the southern and northern ends of the DMZ, Gangwon officials said.
``We are pushing for the project to promote inter-Korean cooperation in the areas of environmental protection and bio energy development,'' an official said. ``The JSA will include solar energy generation facilities and a sun-powered heating system. The complex will be able to provide electricity to nearby areas in the South and North.''
The ideas will be presented to the government as early as next month for discussion. If approved, Gangwon will be able to begin construction in November of next year after joint studies with the North, the official said.
Gangwon expects construction costs to reach more than 12 billion won. The province will ask for help from the government. The South will fund the project and provide construction equipment, while the North will provide the workforce, he said.