용산 미군기지 다시 보기 [아침햇발]

Young drivers often do not remember their first driving lesson. Thirty years ago, the memory that resurfaced was the debate over the future of the US Army base at Gwangmyeong. The author, who served as a driver for the US Army, spent a few weeks learning to drive at the base. The basic course took place at a separate facility, "Transportation," while the driving practice was conducted within the base itself, "Gimcheon."

The initial task was to drive on a straight road from the southern entrance, now the US embassy residence. The 2-kilometer-long route included small hills and traffic signals. As the driver became more comfortable, distant green spaces became visible, including a golf course in the south. The US soldiers' presence there astonished the author, who was furious at the notion of foreigners from another nation playing golf in Seoul.

In response to this unease, the US Army closed the golf course in 1991 and returned the land to the city in the following year. The golf course and surrounding areas were dotted with neatly maintained military housing, a main US Army post in the north, and various facilities like shops, restaurants, sports complexes, and hospitals.

Known as "a small America within Seoul," the base was also a home for US military personnel and their families, including schools for children. When the government announced plans to convert part of the base into youth housing, Seoul's mayor, Oh Se-hoon, warned that he would be considered a "guilty party in history" if he agreed.

The author, initially shocked, wondered if it was reasonable to convert such a historic site, a legacy of the Japanese occupation and a symbol of US military presence, into youth housing. As the author revisited the base, they saw potential for redesign. While the urgent need for youth housing was valid, the base could also serve as a model city, like Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London, with wide accessibility.

The base's relatively wide width (1.5-2 kilometers) made it difficult for visitors to reach certain areas. The redesign should preserve the historical and cultural significance of the site while accommodating the needs of the younger generation and newlyweds. It was not fair to leave such a vast land, with 50,000 residents and a population of tens of thousands, to the discretion of government officials and Seoul's authorities. The future of the land should not be solely in their hands.