"'Taereung CC' Public Housing District Designation Opposed... Will Supply of 6,800 Units Be Disrupted?"

On the afternoon of the 4th at around 1:30 PM, citizens held a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Council opposing the designation of the public housing district around Seoul Taereung Golf Course in Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu. Photo by Hwang Seoyul

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] Residents have opposed the designation of a public housing district around the Taereung Golf Course (CC) area in Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, where 6,800 households were planned to be supplied as part of the Moon administration's August 4th housing plan, raising concerns that the project may face setbacks. The 3080+ urban complex project is also reportedly progressing slowly, prompting voices questioning whether there will be changes in the volume of public-led housing supply.

On the 5th, the Seoul Metropolitan Council announced that a petition titled “Opposition to the Designation of a Public Housing District around Seoul Taereung Golf Course in Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu” was submitted as the first petition to the council the previous day. According to Park Hwanhee, a council member from Nowon 2nd district who received the petition, about 3,000 residents of Gongneung-dong signed it.

The designation of the public housing district around Taereung Golf Course was discussed as part of the Moon Jae-in administration’s August 4th housing supply policy in 2020. Initially, 10,000 housing units were planned for the site, but due to issues such as securing green spaces, low-density development, and traffic problems, the plan was revised to supply 6,800 households. Accordingly, an alternative volume of 3,100 households was secured through the Suraksan Station transit-oriented urban complex project and urban regeneration projects within Nowon-gu.

Due to the residents’ opposition, the plan to supply 6,800 households in the Taereung district is expected to face difficulties. Residents oppose the plan citing reasons such as the potential cancellation of the Taereung and Gangneung World Heritage designation, hopes for the creation of an ecological park, and traffic congestion. The initial goal to designate the district within the first half of this year was postponed to the second half due to delays in resident briefings and public hearings caused by local elections. In this situation, the first public hearing scheduled for the 17th of last month was canceled due to residents’ opposition, further slowing the project’s progress. The second public hearing is planned for the 11th of this month.

A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official stated, “We have conducted thorough environmental coalition evaluations and are preparing to ensure there is no impact on the Taereung and Gangneung landscapes,” adding, “Although not legally required, we are also preparing a UNESCO heritage impact assessment to minimize negative effects and proceed with the project.”

Meanwhile, the 3080+ urban complex project, another public-led supply policy under the Moon administration, is also reportedly progressing slowly. This project aims to supply a total of 196,000 housing units and has announced 76 candidate sites (totaling 100,000 units), but only 8 sites (about 13,000 units) have completed district designation. On May 23rd, Land Minister Won Heeryong stated, “We will remove projects with low resident support,” leading to analyses that the supply volume through this project may be adjusted.