Seoul City Improves Aged Buildings' Landscape Along Cheongparo Street... "Revitalizing the Seoul Station Area"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Six aging buildings along Cheongpa-ro in the urban regeneration activation area around Seoul Station have been newly renovated. This is the result of the 'Cheongpa-ro Area Landscape Improvement Project,' in which Seoul City supports the exterior improvement construction costs of aging buildings.

This project is a subsidy program provided by Seoul City for exterior landscape and performance improvement construction of buildings along Cheongpa-ro within the urban regeneration activation area, in accordance with Article 27 of the Special Act on Urban Regeneration Activation and Support. Subsidies were provided to six buildings in Jungnim-dong.

In the area behind Seoul Station along Cheongpa-ro, there are abundant historical and cultural resources such as Yak-hyeon Cathedral, Korea's first Western-style cathedral, Seoul 7017, and Seosomun History Park. However, aging buildings are densely clustered here, making it a declining area compared to the front area of Seoul Station. Considering this, the city announced the implementation of the Cheongpa-ro area landscape improvement support project.

Accordingly, in April last year, the city held a project briefing session for residents to explain the detailed project purpose and recruitment criteria, conducted preliminary site inspections and consultations with public architects to propose desirable remodeling directions and guidelines, and called for applicants.

A total of 17 sites applied, and after preliminary screening and subsidy review committee evaluation, six sites were finally selected. After construction completion, on-site inspections were conducted, and 9 million to 30 million KRW per building (with self-payment of 4 million to 140 million KRW), totaling 130 million KRW, was supported. The city confirmed the building status and consistency with the building register through preliminary screening, and the Jung-gu Urban Regeneration Division conducted building safety inspections, excluding buildings that were insufficient or in poor condition from the target.

Kang Maeng-hoon, Director of Seoul City's Urban Regeneration Office, said, "Through this project, we were able to physically improve the aging landscape of the Cheongpa-ro area and enhance the image of the rear area of Seoul Station," adding, "We will continue to promote urban regeneration that can revitalize the Seoul Station area through public-private cooperation."