[News Spot] Seoul Partners House

Seoul Partners House.
Photo by Seoul City

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Seoul Partners House is a three-story building located at 138 Hannam-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. It was established in 2009 with the purpose of relocating the Hyehwa-dong residence, which had been used as an official residence since 1981. However, due to the global financial crisis at the time, its use was changed to a business space that could be utilized for meetings, seminars, and hosting VIPs for small and medium-sized enterprises. Since 2018, it has been transformed into a specialized facility supporting startups and individual creators in the cultural content industry.

With its modern exterior and outstanding scenery, it was also considered a strong candidate for an official residence during former Mayor Park Won-soon's administration. Although the need for hosting VIPs was emphasized, Mayor Park, mindful of the limited space for small businesses and controversies over a luxurious official residence, did not approve it in the final stages, resulting in its cancellation.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon plans to remodel the third floor of this building and operate it as the mayor’s official residence. The move-in is scheduled for the end of March, with about 10% of the total floor area of 2,967㎡ used as the official residence, and the remaining space utilized as a business banquet hall or other purposes if necessary.

Since returning to Seoul city administration through the by-election in April last year, Mayor Oh has commuted from his home in Gwangjin-gu without securing a separate official residence, stating he would "prevent unnecessary waste of taxes." However, due to protests near his residence causing inconvenience to nearby residents, and the need for quick access to City Hall during various disasters and emergencies, the necessity of operating an official residence in an area with easy access to City Hall was raised, leading to the decision to move into Seoul Partners House. The distance from Seoul Partners House to Seoul City Hall is about 6 km, approximately a 15-minute drive.