Government promotes ‘Yongsan Park housing supply’… Conflict escalates amid opposition from Seoul City

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Ki-chang = As the government explicitly announced its intention to use Yongsan Park, a large green space in downtown Seoul, for housing supply, there is a greater possibility that there will be significant changes in the sketch of the urban development plan for Yongsan, which is considered a 'golden land in the middle of Seoul'.

However, the fact that the city of Seoul has consistently opposed the development of Yongsan Park and shows no signs of resolving the standoff is a burden for the government. The government and the ruling party are pushing for a revision of the special law, which is the first step in supplying housing in Yongsan Park, and there is also speculation that the plenary session of the National Assembly is not far away, raising concerns that conflict may increase.

According to the government on the 18th, the representative example of the Yongsan urban development project that has been in progress for some time is the Yongsan International Business District. This is a project to transform an idle site measuring approximately 460,000 m2, where a railway vehicle maintenance depot was once located, into a global convergence business hub by creating a space with various functions such as international business facilities, housing, commerce, and culture.

However, there are still differences of opinion between the government and local governments regarding the amount of housing to be supplied to the Yongsan International Business District. Seoul initially planned to supply 6,000 households, but when the government announced its goal of supplying 10,000 households, it stated that it could accommodate up to 8,000 households, but a compromise has not yet been reached between the two sides.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government points out that if the residential ratio increases to the level suggested by the government, the original business purpose of the international business district will be damaged, and if housing supply increases without expanding infrastructure such as transportation networks and schools, there are concerns about reckless development.

The government has announced plans to start housing construction by the end of 2028 in consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Yongsan-gu, and it is unclear whether it will continue discussions with the Seoul Metropolitan Government regarding the housing quantity or whether differences in opinion can be narrowed.

In addition to the Yongsan International Business District, development is also being promoted on land returned to US forces in Korea, such as the former US military base Camp Kim site (2,500 households) adjacent to Namyeong Station and the Samgak area, and the US 501st Intelligence Corps site near Seobinggo Station (150 households).

Meanwhile, the plan to utilize the housing supply of the Yongsan Park site, which had been discussed intermittently in the past, has recently surfaced and emerged as a major variable in the overall structure of Yongsan development.

Yongsan Park is a large-scale urban park and green space with a total area of ​​about 3 million m2 (approximately 907,000 pyeong). It is a national park managed based on special laws, so the law needs to be revised in order to build houses.

While the children's garden, which is about one-tenth of the total area of ​​the park, was mentioned first as a supply site, the government's position is that it is not limited to the children's garden and is looking at the entire Yongsan Park to see if there is a site that can be used.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok was asked about ways to supply housing using the Yongsan Children's Garden at a press conference on the first anniversary of his inauguration on the 14th, and said, "Children's garden is a narrow concept and we are considering the entire Yongsan Park." The purpose is not to limit the site subject to review to children's gardens.

In Seoul, there is also a plan to supply housing by lifting some development restricted areas (greenbelts) such as Taereung Golf Course and Seoripul, but in a situation where there is no suitable new housing site to provide large-scale housing in the city center other than demolishing existing houses and building new houses through a private redevelopment project, it seems that Yongsan Park was eventually turned to Yongsan Park.

The government is said to be considering public rental housing for young people as the main supply type if housing supply is actually promoted for children's gardens, which have been the most discussed so far. As it is the best location in the Han River Belt, it is interpreted as an idea to supply quality rental housing to actual users while blocking the possibility of 'lottery subscription'.

However, Seoul City and Yongsan-gu are strongly opposed, saying that Yongsan Park should not be used for housing supply considering the symbolism, utility, and future value of a large-scale national park in the city.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a post on social networking service (SNS) that he attended a cabinet meeting that day and clearly conveyed his opposition to the supply of Yongsan Park housing to President Lee Jae-myung.

Mayor Oh said, “We once again made it clear at the Cabinet meeting that the government should not go ahead with damaging Yongsan Park without sufficient social discussion and public consensus.”

In order to supply housing to Yongsan Park, the Special Act on Yongsan Park Construction must be revised. Through the revision of the law, the local government's opinion can be heard in supplying housing to Yongsan Park, but consent is not necessarily required.

Currently, in the National Assembly, an amendment to the Yongsan Park Construction Special Act, which includes the application of flexible design standards in complex facility development districts such as Camp Kim that utilizes scattered sites around the main body of the returned U.S. military base site, is about to be processed in the plenary session. The purpose of the revision is to increase the supply of quality housing in the city center by relaxing standards.

In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "The amendment is not related to the construction of houses on the main site of Yongsan Park," and "It is a content that reasonably adjusts the green space ratio to the level of other laws for industrial sites created for mixed uses such as commerce, business, residential, and culture, separately from the main site corresponding to park green space."

If the government and the ruling party unilaterally pursue housing supply, there are concerns about a backlash from public opinion and the political burden is large. Therefore, it is expected that they will attempt to narrow differences of opinion as much as possible by collecting opinions from Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu, environmental groups, etc.

It is reported that Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok will meet with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 20th to discuss this issue.