Jongno District Mayor Kim Young-jong Attempts Another Urban Management 'Innovation'?... Renovating Abandoned Empty Houses to Create Green Spaces

Kim Young-jong, Mayor of Jongno-gu, Renowned as the Best Ever for Revitalizing Cultural City Projects like Yoon Dong-ju Literature Museum and Cheongun Literature Library, Implements Long-lasting Pavement Blocks and Transforms Underground Spaces from Gwanghwamun Station to KT Gwanghwamun Building and Jongno-gu Office, Launches Vacant House Renovation Project to Create Green Spaces with Residents, Enhancing Urban Aesthetics and Preventing Crime

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Kim Young-jong, mayor of Jongno-gu and a top urban planning expert with a background in architecture, is receiving positive evaluations for implementing new approaches to urban management.

Since taking office as the mayor of Jongno-gu in the 5th local government term, Kim Young-jong has successfully completed major cultural city projects such as the Yun Dong-ju Literature Museum and Cheongun Literature Library. He has also rewritten the history of urban planning in Jongno-gu by using durable sidewalk blocks that can last over 100 years and creating underground spaces connecting Gwanghwamun Station, KT Gwanghwamun Building, and the Jongno-gu Office building. These achievements have earned him the reputation as the "best-ever mayor of Jongno-gu."

Meanwhile, he is receiving further praise for another urban management initiative.

Jongno-gu is promoting a "Vacant House Maintenance Project" to improve urban aesthetics by demolishing long-abandoned vacant houses and creating resting areas for residents.

Vacant houses left unattended for long periods have become a social problem, causing urban environmental degradation and raising concerns about crime.

In response, Jongno-gu is striving to transform vacant houses into green spaces shared with residents.

The district conducted a survey of 1,452 households suspected to be vacant based on electricity and water usage. In October, excluding vacant houses and unauthorized buildings within the maintenance zone, 137 households were confirmed as vacant houses.

Based on safety ratings, vacant houses were classified as ▲Grade 1 (Good) 23 households ▲Grade 2 (Normal) 33 households ▲Grade 3 (Poor) 40 households ▲Grade 4 (Demolition Target) 41 households. Where owners could be identified, voluntary maintenance was requested; where owners could not be identified, the vacant house maintenance plan was announced publicly.

The district plans to support repair and safety measures for houses rated from Grade 1 to Grade 3, and demolish Grade 4 vacant houses to create resting areas and vegetable gardens to improve the residential environment.

In the first half of this year, five unmanaged vacant houses were demolished, and in November, two more were demolished to create green resting spaces for residents.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “We will do our best to establish an efficient vacant house management system, not only creating resting areas after demolition but also exploring various ways to utilize vacant houses so that Jongno can be a safe and pleasant place for residents to live.”