- Zone D (230,000㎡) follows Zones A and B (210,000㎡) returned back in 2019 -
- Incheon wants to establish a master plan for next year and build a second medical center as well as a botanical garden after extensive public discourse -
Camp Market, which was used as an armory during the Japanese colonial period in 1939 and then as a US military base in Korea after liberation, has been returned to Incheon.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok held a press conference at City Hall on December 20 and announced that control over Zone D (230,000㎡) of the Bupyeong US Military Base (hereinafter referred to as “Camp Market”) is now back in the hands of Korean authorities (US Forces Korea →Ministry of Defense), and that the entire compound (440,000㎡) will be handed over to the public.
<Layout of Camp Market>
<View of Camp Market>
The Korean government also announced the return of Camp Market Zone D on the same day as well. Camp Market's relocation plan was finalized in accordance with the 2002 Korea-US Land Partnership Plan. In December 2019, Zones A and B (210,000㎡) were handed back to Korea, but US Forces stayed in control of the remaining Zone D.
| Sort | Returned Area (440,000㎡) | Surrounding Area
(Bupyeong Park, etc., 160,000㎡) |
|---|
| Zone A | Zone B | Zone D |
|---|
| Area | 109,961㎡ | 100,804㎡ | 229,235㎡ | 164,938 |
| Returned (US Army → Ministry ofDefense) | December 11, 2019 | December 20, 2023 | - |
| Contamination Cleanup (Ministryof Defense) | June 2020 ~ December 2023 | June 2020 ~ December 2023 | (After return) | - |
| Plan | New Incheon Medical Center
Fire station, roads | Park | Park, roads | Park, etc. |
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “After 84 long years, we now have full control over Camp Market once again. On behalf of all 3 million of my constituents, I sincerely welcome the full return of Camp Market to Incheon.”
The Mayor added, “The Camp Market project will involve a full cleanup of the compound, and we will take in feedback from the public and use it to determine how we develop the area going forward. We want to connect the area to our transportation system, we want it to be a pedestrian-friendly area, and we want to create more parks and green areas. In doing so, we want the new Camp Market to offer a unique set of values for the public, serve multiple functions for the City, and become a landmark of Incheon.”
Incheon plans to reorganize the downtown area in Bupyeong and add a public park by 2030.
▲ (Park) Building a new green network (1,100,000㎡) from the 3rd Supply Group to Camp Market and Bupyeong Park, and using it as a local hub for ecology, history, and culture
* Establish a master plan with public input from local citizens (early 2024), host an international design competition (2025), and begin construction at cleaned-up sites (2026: Begin construction at Zone B; 2030: Target completion date)
-
▲ (Roads) Early opening of Janggogae Road (660m) to reconnect the east-west transportation network
* Begin construction in February 2024, push up completion date by one year from 2026 to 2025
▲ (Other) Building a new Incheon Medical Center, Bupyeong Fire Station, and a park (10,000㎡), which includes Incheon's largest botanical garden
Meanwhile, Incheon established a master plan with feedback from the public to overcome the delayed return of Zone D, and turn Camp Market into a park that reflects what the locals say they want from their neighborhood park. The City created an archive, surveyed related facilities, and has immersive/learning programs to help inform the public about the project.
