Kim Ki-deok, Seoul City Councilor, Achieves 'Approval' from Seoul Urban Architecture Joint Committee for 7-Year Long Sangsang Mall Project in Sangam

Kim Ki-deok, who negotiated with Mayor Park Won-soon immediately after entering the assembly in 2018 and revived the fading Sangam Shopping Mall
Construction set to begin in the first half of this year... "Will greatly contribute to improving Mapo's local economy and the quality of life for residents in the northwest area"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Kim Ki-deok, Vice Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party of Korea·Mapo 4), announced that Seoul held the Urban Architecture Joint Committee on the 27th and approved the amendment of the ‘Sangam DMC Special Planning District Detailed Development Plan Decision.’

Although Seoul sold three parcels (20,644㎡) within the Sangam housing development project site in 2013 to Lotte for 197.174 billion KRW in a lump sum, the complex shopping mall development project in Sangam DMC, which had delayed the permit procedures citing coexistence with the local commercial district, has now been activated after seven years as it passed the Urban Architecture Joint Committee.

The driving force behind enabling the long-stalled Sangam DMC complex shopping mall project was the hard work of the current Vice Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Kim Ki-deok, who returned to the council after four years since 2014, and the power of local residents.

On September 3, 2018, as the first questioner in the 10th Seoul Metropolitan Council’s first city administration inquiry, Councilor Kim Ki-deok raised pointed questions to Mayor Park Won-soon, highlighting the issues that had dragged on for over five years, thereby opening the way to resume the stalled entry of the Sangam DMC complex Lotte shopping mall. He also visited related departments one by one to explain the rationale and sought cooperation from the media, making every effort.

On February 8, 2019, he arranged a meeting in the council’s VIP room with three deputy mayors of Seoul?Administrative Deputy Mayor 1, Administrative Deputy Mayor 2, and Political Deputy Mayor?as well as councilors Cho Sang-ho, Sung Heum-je, and Lee Byung-do, to convey public opinion overwhelmingly supporting the resumption of the Sangam DMC complex shopping mall entry procedure from residents of the northwest area and requested cooperation.

Subsequently, on April 10, 2019, he held a negotiation table with Mayor Park Won-soon in the mayor’s office, receiving a response to proceed with the permit procedures. On May 13, Seoul sent an official letter to Lotte requesting submission of the detailed development plan (draft) for the DMC project site, and the subsequent procedures proceeded smoothly. Kim Ki-deok’s contribution was highly praised for reviving the fading shopping mall project.

Councilor Kim Ki-deok said, “The promotion of the resumption of the Sangam complex shopping mall entry was my first pledge,” and added, “I am very pleased to have achieved results that can surely repay the overwhelming support and encouragement from the Sangam and Seongsan area residents, including the Western Development Association.” He also stated, “Among the ten pledges promised to the residents, I am doing my best to ensure that the ongoing projects are faithfully implemented and completed.”

He also expressed gratitude, saying, “I would like to thank the related officials who worked hard until the Urban Architecture Joint Committee’s approval on this day, following the late Mayor Park Won-soon’s intention to shift the direction toward permitting for the DMC Sangam shopping mall that had been delayed for over seven years, on behalf of the local residents.”

Meanwhile, with the approval of the ‘Sangam DMC Special Planning District Detailed Development Plan Decision’ by the Urban Architecture Joint Committee, the Sangam complex shopping mall is expected to begin construction as early as the first half of this year.