[Interview] Yuseonghun, Geumcheon District Mayor: "General Hospital and Geumcheon District Office Complex Station Will Become a Symbolic Landmark of Geumcheon’s Future"

Construction of a general hospital (810 beds) and apartment complex (990 units) on the former Daehan Cable site in front of Geumcheon-gu Office Station, supply of 230 Happy Housing units for youth and newlyweds on the abandoned oil tank site next to the station, and building a new Geumcheon-gu Office Station complex with commercial, office, and cultural functions (1,600㎡) on the current station site (900㎡)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “With the passage of the Urban Architecture Joint Committee review for the construction of a large general hospital on the former Daehan Electric Wire site, the long-cherished project of building a general hospital by the residents has been virtually confirmed. We will strengthen the emergency medical system to protect the lives of residents and dramatically enhance the healthcare sector in Geumcheon-gu through coexistence with local medical institutions.”

Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, announced that the ‘Daehan Electric Wire Site Special Planning District Detailed Development Plan (draft),’ which involves the complex construction of a general hospital and residential apartments on the former Daehan Electric Wire site in front of Geumcheon-gu Office Station, passed the Seoul Urban Architecture Joint Committee review on the 23rd of last month.

The district submitted the detailed development plan (draft) prepared by Booyoung Housing, went through public inspection and other procedures, and applied for approval from Seoul City in December last year. In June, it passed the Traffic Impact Assessment Committee review, and recently obtained a ‘conditional approval’ from the Urban Architecture Joint Committee review.

According to the detailed development plan (draft), on the 80,985㎡ project site, a large general hospital with 5 basement floors and 18 above-ground floors (810 beds) and seven residential apartment buildings with 2 basement floors and 35 above-ground floors (990 households) will be constructed.

Along with this, the creation of infrastructure such as roads, plazas, and green spaces is expected to lead to improvements in road traffic around Geumcheon-gu Office Station and changes in the urban environment.

The district plans to build a specialized strategy focusing on the treatment of ‘high-difficulty severe diseases’ such as the five major cancers, geriatric diseases, and pediatric diseases, as well as ‘R&D projects’ through the construction of the general hospital. It will also strengthen the response system against new infectious diseases that may repeatedly occur in the future, such as COVID-19.

Additionally, public health-related facilities such as a Mental Health Welfare Center and a Dementia Safety Center will be installed within the general hospital to provide one-stop services linked with the hospital for vulnerable groups such as the elderly.

Furthermore, the residential apartments are planned in four types with exclusive areas of 44㎡, 59㎡, 84㎡, and 113㎡ in the station area, expected to meet the housing demand of various groups including local residents and workers in G-Valley.

Following the passage of the Urban Architecture Joint Committee review, the district will conduct a public inspection of the detailed development plan (draft) and officially announce the decision in early November. Afterward, it will proceed with building permit procedures such as the Architectural Committee review, aiming to start construction in August 2021 and complete the general hospital by 2024.

Meanwhile, in the area around Geumcheon-gu Office Station, residential and commercial facilities were completed last year on the site of a relocated military base, and currently, the Daehan Electric Wire site development project and the Geumcheon-gu Office Station complex development project are actively underway.

The ‘Geumcheon-gu Office Station Complex Development Project’ involves supplying 230 units of happy housing for youth and newlyweds on the site of a decommissioned oil tank next to the station. It also plans to build a new station building (with a total floor area of 1,600㎡) with mixed functions including commercial, office, and cultural facilities on the current station site (total floor area of 900㎡).

Through future station development, the old and poor Geumcheon-gu Office Station will be reborn as a complex station with various functions including childcare facilities, startup spaces, happy housing, public, neighborhood living, commercial, office, and cultural facilities.

Mayor Yoo said, “The Geumcheon-gu Office Complex Station, with an appearance and historicity befitting the gateway to the southwest of Seoul, and the large general hospital project responsible for the health of local residents will become a landmark symbolizing the future of Geumcheon. We will do our best to improve residents’ quality of life and create a happy city Geumcheon that residents can be proud of.”