PAJU — The city of Paju in Gyeonggi Province is mounting an all-out effort to win designation as a "Paju Peace Economic Zone," aiming to secure shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and a future growth engine for the border region.
Paju said on the 19th that it recently visited the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the ministries responsible for peace economic zone designations, and delivered a joint petition calling for the designation and full government support.
The petition is intended to advance the city's core vision of "peace and economy, both through Paju" and to establish the area in advance as a central hub for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. The city reaffirmed that the designation would go beyond balanced regional development and amount to a national strategic project driving future innovation on the peninsula.
Last month, Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan, National Assembly members Yoon Hu-duk and Park Jung, Paju City Council Chairman Choi You-gak and members of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, along with other local political and administrative figures, formally issued a joint petition urging the designation of the Paju Peace Economic Zone.
The application for a "Gyeonggi Province Peace Economic Zone (Paju District)," submitted by the provincial government, has entered interagency consultations involving the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Under the government's plan for designating peace economic zones in 2026 and 2027, a review panel will assess the development plan before the Peace Economic Zone Committee deliberates and decides on final designation.
"The Paju Peace Economic Zone is a key national strategy for shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," Son said. "We will work closely with Gyeonggi Province on the development plan review and other follow-up procedures and respond actively so that this effort bears fruit."