Yoo Hyun-joon: "Yongsan Office is a Masterstroke... The Best View I've Ever Seen Since Birth"

"Real Estate Policy Should Increase Diversity, Not Supply Volume"

At the "2018 Asia Future Business Forum" hosted by Asia Economy on April 26, 2018, at the Grand Ballroom of the Federation of Korean Industries Building in Yeouido, Seoul, Professor Yoo Hyun-joon of the College of Architecture at Hongik University gave a special lecture titled "What Do Cities Live On" under the theme "Conditions for 100-Year Companies: Creating a Shared Future." Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Woo-seok] Professor Yoo Hyun-joon of the Department of Architecture at Hongik University stated on the 17th that the relocation of the Blue House presidential office to Yongsan, which President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is pushing for, "might be a masterstroke."

Professor Yoo appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day and said, "I once gave a lecture at the Ministry of National Defense, and I think it was the best view I had ever seen since I was born," adding, "I thought, 'It would be really great if there was a presidential office here.'"

He pointed out, "When the Blue House was built, the layout felt like it was almost designed by the Blue House Security Office. There are two security buildings like guardhouses on the left and right sides of the main entrance at the front, and in front of them is the Yeomin-gwan. It’s like a primary barricade, and inside that are the presidential office and other facilities," adding, "I think the layout is structured in a way that communication is impossible."

He continued, "Looking at it now, if you go to the Blue House's State Guest House and look down from the terrace, there are large buildings in front, and behind them, Namsan Mountain blocks the view. From this perspective, the buildings in front block the view, and Namsan also blocks it, making it feel very confined," and said, "As Seoul has expanded toward Gangnam and the capital boundaries inside the Four Great Gates have become much wider, I think the central axis is shifting from Gyeongbokgung Palace toward Yongsan."

Regarding opposition to the Yongsan relocation, he said, "The current Blue House location seems to have a good defensive position with a hill on the left and Inwangsan Mountain on the right," but added, "Looking toward the future, moving might be a good idea."

Professor Yoo said, "Once the U.S. military base relocates, the area will be fully opened as Yongsan Family Park. Then, if there is a park where citizens can come in front and the Blue House is located above it, it might resemble the White House," adding, "If you look at the White House, there are memorials like the Washington National Mall in front, and the White House is situated on a slight hill. A similar structure could emerge here."

Regarding current real estate policies, he evaluated, "Wanting to have one's own home is a fundamental desire of living beings. From birth, all living beings are constrained by time and space, but they want to be free from those constraints," adding, "Freedom from the constraints of time can be achieved through medical technology that extends life expectancy, and freedom of space is obtained by owning property. These things need to be understood and approached properly, but that does not seem to have happened."

On future real estate policies, Professor Yoo argued, "I think the idea of building millions of apartments is dangerous," adding, "If the government starts supplying so many homes, the style of housing could become increasingly uniform. We should not only think about the quantity of supply but also improve quality by increasing diversity."

He further said, "Rather than redeveloping or reconstructing 3,000 or 10,000 households at once, it would be better to do it on a small scale of a few dozen or a few hundred households, preserving the existing urban structure without too much damage. When the scale is enough to combine several dozen plots to build an underground parking lot, then proceed," adding, "By preserving diversity, what we ultimately want to create are multiple distinctive zones where people can walk around without needing cars and solve everything within nearby forested areas."