Professor Kim Jung-tae of the Game Department at Dongyang University made a proposal during a town hall meeting in Paju on the 14th, presided over by President Lee Jae-myung, to establish a 'Game and eSports Peace Zone' on former US military bases.

Kim argues that Northern Gyeonggi should become the hub of Korea's cultural powerhouse status. 'If we are to embrace the 300 trillion won era of K-Culture, games, webtoons, and video content are our core assets,' he remarked, suggesting that attracting a 'Content-Specialized AI Data Centre' could generate thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of jobs for the youth.

The proposal involves repurposing former US military sites in Northern Gyeonggi into AI data centres. The Hantangang River flowing through Dongducheon and Yeoncheon offers a reliable source of hydroelectric power for such facilities. Furthermore, the Dongducheon Dream Power thermal plant boasts a 1.7GW capacity—theoretically enough to fuel over 40,000 GPU racks for an AI data centre. If a massive hub proves too ambitious, it is analyzed that establishing Edge Data Centres (EDC) would be a perfectly viable alternative.

Professor Kim noted that while other cities are vying for defense-related AI, the Dongducheon and Yeoncheon regions are uniquely primed for content-focused tech. He anticipates that an EDC specialized in games, webtoons, and visual media would provide momentum for the development of the Dongducheon National Industrial Complex.

However, he pointed out that hardware alone has its limits, emphasizing a collaborative ecosystem involving local government, industry, and academia. His vision is to designate Northern Gyeonggi as an 'AI Content Peace Zone' centered on gaming and eSports, effectively turning border-adjacent areas like Dongducheon into specialized hubs.

Kim insists that a 'bottom-up' approach, driven by local will and budget, is far superior to the existing 'top-down' bidding wars. He believes this is the key to unlocking the region's potential, linking the lifting of border-area regulations to a massive boost in population and economic vitality.

Meanwhile, Dongyang University’s Dongducheon campus already hosts a variety of relevant disciplines within its SW Convergence College, including AI Big Data Convergence, eSports, IT Convergence Management, Game Studies, Digital Twin Software, Smart Safety Systems, and Webtoon Animation.