Jangwi 15 District Revived, on the Verge of Establishing Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The redevelopment of Jangwi New Town District 15 in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, which once faced a crisis after being deregulated as a maintenance project zone, is now on the verge of establishing a union.

According to the maintenance industry on the 20th, the Jangwi 15 District Redevelopment Promotion Committee will hold a general meeting for the establishment of the union on the 9th of next month. A committee official said, "We started obtaining residents' consent from August last year, and the consent rate has now exceeded 80%," adding, "Our goal is to receive approval for the establishment of the union within this year."

This district was designated as a redevelopment promotion zone in 2008, with a redevelopment project planned for about 2,500 households. However, in May 2018, during the tenure of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, the district was deregulated by the Seoul city government under the New Town exit strategy. Subsequently, the promotion committee filed a lawsuit against the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seongbuk-gu Office challenging the invalidity of the deregulation order. In January of this year, they won the final verdict at the Supreme Court. Originally, the district's sunset deadline was March 2 of last year, but after the victory, Seoul extended the deadline to January 1, 2023, removing a major obstacle to project progress.

Located near Sangwolgok Station on Subway Line 6, the district is expected to be transformed into a large complex of approximately 2,800 to 3,000 households through redevelopment.

However, the simultaneous promotion of the street housing maintenance project within the district is a source of conflict. The promotion committee insists that the entire redevelopment should proceed as originally planned, while the street housing maintenance project union maintains its stance to proceed independently. An industry insider said, "Approving the street housing project during the deregulation lawsuit only intensified internal conflicts," adding, "Prompt coordination is necessary to accelerate the project progress."