[Exclusive] Seoul Court Building 2 Design Initiated... 133.3 Billion KRW Allocated for Construction Starting in 2023

Central District Court Sports Ground and Welfare Center Site, Design Service Completed After Passing KDI Review

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The construction project for the Seoul Court Building No. 2 has begun. The site for the new building is located on the playground and welfare center behind the Seoul Central District Court. Design work started last month, with construction scheduled to begin in 2023 and all court relocation work expected to be completed by 2026.

According to the legal community on the 18th, the Court Administration Office has commenced design work to build the Court Building No. 2 on a 102,373㎡ site at 1701-1 Seocho-dong within the Seoul Court Complex.

This project, with a total construction cost of 133.3 billion KRW, was initiated in 2019 when the Court Administration Office reviewed the feasibility of new construction due to the aging of the current court buildings and the need to expand the number of trial divisions. Subsequently, it passed the feasibility study conducted by the Korea Development Institute (KDI), and the design service was completed last month.

The third and fourth annex buildings, constructed in 1982, are approaching 40 years since completion and are in a state where partial repairs are no longer feasible due to aging. Additionally, securing space for expanding trial divisions, courtrooms, and mediation rooms to accommodate the increasing number of cases is currently impossible.

The new construction site consists of the welfare center, which is a space for court employees' welfare, and the adjacent playground. The playground was selected as the final site because its utilization decreased after the Judicial Research and Training Institute relocated to Ilsan. However, part of the area will be left as a lawn for employees to use.

The third and fourth annex buildings, initially considered as the project site, were excluded because institutions housed there would have to rent external spaces during construction. Considering their aging condition, the plan is to use these buildings as convenience facilities such as parking lots for visitors after the new building is completed.

The new building will be jointly used by the Seoul High Court and the Seoul Bankruptcy Court. Of the total building area of 53,135㎡, 40,000㎡ will be allocated to the Seoul High Court, and the remainder to the Seoul Bankruptcy Court.

The building will be divided into four main zones: civil affairs, operations, operational support, and court. Considering the nature of the work, movement routes will be separated and shielding facilities installed for each related zone. Notably, the structure will be designed to allow future expansion. According to a person involved in the design service, vertical or horizontal expansion will be possible depending on future court demand and administrative circumstances.

While the specific scale will be finalized through future design, the sizes of the court chief judges’ offices have been confirmed. The Seoul High Court chief judge’s office will be 132㎡, and the Bankruptcy Court chief judge’s office will be 100㎡. Judge offices will be assigned on a one-person, one-room basis, with each room sized at 36㎡. Additionally, one courtroom will be allocated per two trial divisions. However, considering the total floor area, an appropriate number of courtrooms will be installed to enable each trial division to hold trials at least twice a week.

The Court Administration Office has stated that, considering that surrounding buildings must continue normal operations during construction, the design and construction schedule will not be rushed. This is why one year is planned for basic design and another year for detailed design. Construction is expected to start by the end of 2022 or in 2023, with the new building expected to be completed by 2026.

A Court Administration Office official said, "While reflecting the characteristics of the court, we plan to design the building to break away from a rigid image and provide a sense of familiarity to the public. Once the new building is completed, the increased number of courtrooms will make scheduling trials easier, greatly benefiting the public in terms of faster case processing and convenience."