<Anchor> In
Maehyang-ri, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, where the US military conducted bombing exercises for over half a century, the ecosystem is reviving after the training ground was closed. Instead of the sound of shells, birds chirping were heard, but it is said that a new concern has arisen recently.
A reporter has been there.
<Reporter>
In 2005, over Maehyang-ri, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. The American fighter jets turn with a roar and then pour out bullets.
'Nongseom', which became the target of training, almost disappeared due to receiving countless bombs for half a century.
This is the 16th year since the training ground was closed. The scars of the bombing were left as relics and now turned into a land of peace.
The tidal flats along the coast, where the roar and the smell of gunpowder have disappeared, have been transformed into an ecological treasure trove.
[Park Hye-jeong / Secretary General of the Hwaseong Environmental Movement Association: About 169 benthic species were found in one investigation. That means there is a lot of biodiversity.]
More than 100,000 waterbirds visit the optimal environment with tidal flats rich in food and wetlands where they can rest.
[Kim Han-deok / Maehyang-ri resident: I catch clams and octopuses, and things like that. Farming in a fishing village, digging cockles and clams, and picking oysters… .] The
government recently designated Maehyang-ri Tidal Flat as a wetland protected area.
Maehyang-ri Tidal Flat and Hwaseong Lake Wetland are also being registered as Ramsar wetlands that need global protection.
However, recently, there is a growing concern that airplane noise will resume here.
In 2017, the Ministry of National Defense unilaterally announced the area near Maehyang-ri as a candidate site for the preliminary relocation of the Suwon Air Force Airfield without collecting opinions from residents.
[Cheol-mo Seo/Mayor of Hwaseong: (At the time) The Ministry of National Defense unilaterally selected a candidate site. I think we will be able to reach the fastest conclusion if we discuss it from the beginning again.]
Most residents are concerned that Maehyang-ri, which has regained the sound of birdsong after 70 years, will be trapped in the noise of a fighter plane again.
(Video coverage: Kim Myung-gu, video editing: Park Jin-hoon, screen provided: Hwaseong City)