The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs on Wednesday designated 2.43 square kilometers of the land currently occupied by the U.S. Army’s Yongsan Garrison to be converted into a park.
Central government agencies and the Seoul city government have been reviewing plans to convert the land occupied by the Yongsan Garrison into a park since 2008 once control of the land is returned to the Korean government.
Most of the 2.65 square kilometer area will be returned to the Korean government in 2016 after the U.S. Army base is relocated to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
The remaining 220,000 square meters of land will be occupied by the new U.S. embassy, as well as the helipad and Dragon Hill hotel that are currently at the site.
