Seoul City Announces Private Land Negotiated Purchase for 'Urban Natural Park Zones'... Acquiring Area Equivalent to 18 Soccer Fields This Year

Applications for next year's purchase sites accepted until the 7th of next month... 61.7 billion KRW invested in private land acquisition this year
Priority purchase by 2030 of 6.3㎢ private land within 'Urban Natural Park Zones' including hiking trails and walking paths

Bulamsan Urban Natural Park Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City is accepting applications until the 7th of next month for the 2023 purchase of private land within the designated ‘Urban Natural Park Zones’ to prevent the reduction of park areas due to the expiration system (sunset clause) of urban parks. The goal is to prioritize the purchase of spaces within urban parks, such as hiking trails, walking paths, and rest areas, that are heavily used by citizens, and return them to the public.

On the 18th, Seoul City announced that it is purchasing private land within the ‘Urban Natural Park Zones’ starting this year through a public recruitment process, selecting sites based on voluntary applications from landowners, and acquiring land through negotiated purchase with landowners for use in public interest projects by the state or local governments.

The ‘Urban Natural Park Zones’ were designated as use zones to maintain park functions for some long-term unexecuted urban parks that were at risk of disappearing due to the implementation of the long-term unexecuted urban park expiration system. In June 2020, the city newly designated 68 locations covering 69.2㎢ through changes in urban management plans.

Although there is no legal obligation to purchase land within the ‘Urban Natural Park Zones,’ requests for land purchase from landowners have continued, and with the increased demand and public value of parks after COVID-19, the city established a basic plan for private land acquisition in August last year. Accordingly, out of a total of 36.7㎢ of private land, 6.3㎢ (2.17 times the area of Yeouido) will be prioritized for purchase by 2030.

The 6.3㎢ prioritized for purchase includes land necessary to connect parks, such as hiking trails and walking paths, as well as land needed to secure citizen convenience and park management. To encourage voluntary participation from landowners and efficiently use limited budgets, the city conducted a nationwide public recruitment for the first time in August last year, receiving applications for 226 parcels. After evaluations by district offices, Seoul City, and the Compensation Review Committee, 41 parcels (128,000㎡) within 23 park zones were selected for purchase this year. These include popular areas frequently used by the public, such as the hiking trail at Bulamsan and rest areas at Inwangsan.

Seoul City will purchase portions of the prioritized land that citizens actually use, such as hiking trails and rest areas. Currently, on-site surveys and measurements for the 2022 purchase targets have been completed, and appraisals are underway, with plans to complete purchases within the first half of the year. Yoo Young-bong, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Green City Bureau, said, “We will continue to promote negotiated purchases so that citizens can use urban parks comfortably and safely, providing green resting places.”