35-Year-Old KT Gwanghwamun West Building to Undergo Remodeling in July Next Year

Remodeling Due to Building Aging... Scheduled for Completion in 2023

KT Gwanghwamun West Building Remodeling Perspective (Source: Heerim Architects)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] KT Gwanghwamun West Building will begin remodeling construction starting July next year.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to Jo Myeonghui, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee from the People Power Party, KT will start remodeling the Gwanghwamun West Building due to building aging in July next year, with completion scheduled for the second half of 2023.

KT West Building was constructed in 1986 and has 3 basement floors and 15 above-ground floors, with a land area of 8,349㎡. KT is preparing for remodeling with the goal of starting construction in the third quarter of next year. Employees currently working in the old office will be relocated to Bundang and nearby Gwanghwamun buildings.

This site is classified as a large-scale defense cooperation zone, allowing only maintenance and repair instead of reconstruction, but due to severe aging recently, remodeling has become necessary.

The remodeling will be undertaken by Heerim Architects. The plan is to transform the West Building into a plaza and a complex cultural commercial space with a focus on F&B, creating a complex platform linking the East Building and the Gwanghwamun area.

With the remodeling of KT West Building, organizations renting office space such as the 4th Industrial Revolution Committee, the Job Committee, and the Nuclear Safety Committee must relocate their offices before the remodeling construction begins. Government agencies will start moving to nearby Gwanghwamun buildings from February next year.