[Incheon, Zoom In ①]

AUTUMN FLOWERS BLOOMING IN THE LAND THAT RETURNED

Bupyeong Camp Market was once a forbidden land. The tall and thick wall was torn down, and the place opened in 2021. Now, Citizens can make memories and relax there. A new space was created in September of this year after the additional area of the site opened. Orange cosmos flowers bloom beautifully next to the broad field, and you can stroll through the flower gardens planted with colorful flowers.

+ BUPYEONG CAMP MARKET 

Address: 449 Sangok 3-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon

Site area: 604,938㎡ (Returned granted area 440,000㎡, surrounding area 164,938㎡)

Period: 2009-2023

Website : www.incheon.go.kr/campmarket/index

Main Facilities: Field, citizen shelter, Camp Market Today & Tomorrow (Information Center), baseball field facilities, bathrooms, etc.

Hours: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year * Rental hours are 9:00-18:00, submit the application form 10 days before the date of use

HISTORICAL LAND REBORN AS A PARK

Green lawns and flower fields colored in autumn spread in the Camp Market. It did not look this peaceful in the past. In the past, it was a separate city, enclosed by a bleak wall, and isolated from the city center. The first time it was cut off was during the Japanese colonial period. Japan built a production plant centered on heavy industry on the Bupyeong Plain, which had the geographical advantage of being adjacent to the Seoul-Incheon Railroad and port facilities. From 1939 to 1941, Japan also operated the Incheon Army Arsenal, the only arsenal on the Korean Peninsula, producing weapons to be sent to Manchuria and China.

After Japan left, the US military occupied the site. To supply provisions and food to the US military stationed in South Korea, ASCOM City (comprising seven military cities, including Camp Market) was designated on discovered last year. According to the Camp Market master plan, a botanical garden and park will be created in Zone B. As soon as the ongoing environmental cleanup is completed, the area surrounding the music studio (9,300㎡) will be additionally opened in the first half of next year. When this space is opened, a large-scale park green space will be newly created, linking Zone B with Buyeong Park (112,000㎡) and Bupyeong Park (113,000㎡). this site. Inside the base were military facilities for each unit and convenience facilities such as a restaurant, club, hospital, theater, and library for the US military. It was our land, but they created their city. Later, in 1971, when the 121st Evacuation Hospital was relocated to the Yongsan US military base, ASCOM City was reduced and officially dismantled in 1973. Only dust piled up in the abandoned site. Although apartments were built and the city was developed in the surrounding area, it remained isolated.

In the 1990s, a civic movement demanding the return of the Camp Market site began. The citizens' passionate voices eventually led to the decision to return the site in 2002. Even then, the process took a long time. After waiting for 18 years, in 2021, the concrete wall was torn down, the barbed wire was cut, and the doors of the Camp Market opened wide.

+ MORE CAMP MARKET 

① CAMP MARKET TODAY & TOMORROW(INFORMATION CENTER)

Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9:00-18:00 *Closed on statutory holidays

Main Facilities: Information center, exhibition and communication space, restrooms, etc.

Information: ☎ 032-456-5540

② CAMP MARKET CULTURE AND TOUR GUIDE

Hours: 10:00-17:00 (excluding lunch time, 12:00-13:00)

How to Use: Guides operate three times a day (10:30, 13:30, 15:00) and provide comments for group visitors who made a reservation

Reservation Method: Online reservation note on the Incheon Culture and Tourism Commentator Reservation System (culture-tour.incheon.go.kr)

Note: Reservations are not possible for small groups of five or fewer visitors (use of guides on-site) 

Information: ☎ 032-440-4105

SPACE WHERE TOMORROW IS EVEN MORE ANTICIPATED

Starting in 2021, Camp Market has been opened district by district. The additional site opened in September was as large as 5,200㎡ near the field in District B, where soil contamination was decontaminated entirely in May. Incheon has created a nature-friendly rest area, including a walking path, park, and flower garden.

The second stage, scheduled to open in the first half of next year, is currently undergoing a detailed investigation as additional soil contamination was discovered last year. According to the Camp Market master plan, a botanical garden and park will be created in Zone B. As soon as the ongoing environmental cleanup is completed, the area surrounding the music studio (9,300㎡) will be additionally opened in the first half of next year. When this space is opened, a large-scale park green space will be newly created, linking Zone B with Buyeong Park (112,000㎡) and Bupyeong Park (113,000㎡).