South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced during a policy debate in Ulsan on Wednesday that his administration plans to ease the country’s greenbelt regulations to allow development in conservation areas. He also promised to grant local governments the autonomy to repurpose these areas into strategic industrial zones, marking the first significant policy shift in greenbelt regulations in two decades.

The change is expected to impact over 1,467 square miles (3,800 square kilometers) of protected land across the country, accounting for 4% of South Korea’s land area. With this policy adjustment, areas previously restricted due to factors like high elevation or