DMZ to be built as peace, ecology belt

The government plans to develop border areas with North Korea into a center for inter-Korean cooperation, international peace and ecological protection.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security yesterday announced the plan during the meeting of the Presidential Committee on Regional Development attended by President Lee Myung-bak.

The ministry will designate the Demilitarized Zone as an ecological preservation zone to protect rare wildlife and the natural environment.

More than 3,000 rare species of animals and plants are found in the 907-square-kilometer heavily fortified border.

The government plans to build a peace park, host the United Nations` peace conference and establish an international peace-themed university around the DMZ.

The ministry also plans to develop industries, tourism and transport networks around the sealed border.



High-tech display devices, new material and renewable energy industries will be attracted to the areas. A bike path will be built along the 495-kilometer-long Civilian Control Line.

For inter-Korean cooperation, disconnected roads and railways across the border and a large bridge connecting Incheon International Airport and two North Korean cities will be built in the long term.



The government is also mulling a new tourism program linking the South`s Mountain Seorak and the North`s Mt. Geumgang.

The ministry said it will complete a detailed plan for the border area development by May. It will include measures to prevent the side-effects of real estate speculation and reckless development.

The border region comprises 15 cities and counties in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces with a size of 8,100 square kilometers and a population of 660,000.

During the meeting in the southern city of Daegu, the committee and government ministries unveiled the blueprint for developing four "supra-regional belts" along three coasts and the inter-Korea border.

The plan is a key component of the Lee Myung-bak administration`s three-layered territorial policy to boost national competitiveness through economies of scale, agglomeration and regional interconnection.

The four external areas surrounding the nation account for nearly 40 percent of the entire landmass and local administrative units, as well as about 28 percent of population.

The southern coastal belt will be developed into a Northeast Asian economic hub with shipbuilding, petrochemical and logistics industries. A number of oceanic resort towns will be built along the coast and on nearby islands.

The eastern coastal belt will become an energy and green growth business center building on its nuclear power and LNG plants and nurturing fuel-cell and wind power industries. New tourism projects will be promoted connecting mountains and seashores in the regions.

The western coastal area, which includes the Incheon airport, several seaports and the Incheon Free Economic Zone will focus on international businesses, logistics and new growth engine industries.

The government will build a square-type high-speed rail network along the supra-regions and transportation networks linking toward Northeast Asia and Eurasia.

A variety of inland belts will also be designated later.

"Supra-regional belts represent new territorial growth axes of the nation combining industries, culture, tourism and infrastructure," said Lee Yong-woo, a senior researcher of the state-run Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements.

The strategy seeks to make the best use of the nation`s geoeconomic advantage, as it is located in the center of Northeast Asia and positioned to serve as the gateway both to the Pacific Rim and Eurasia, he said.

The government plans to finalize comprehensive plans for each of the supra-regional belts including financing, infrastructure and industrial development in the first half of next year, the committee said.

The government is pushing three-layered territorial policy. It earlier announced plans to develop seven mega-regions and 163 basic residential zones across the country.

(jjhwang@heraldm.com)





By Hwang Jang-jin