Fire trucks are having difficulty accessing the 4th district of Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where a fire broke out in the morning of last January. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) are taking concrete steps to ensure housing stability for disaster victims by proceeding with land compensation in Guryong Village, Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu.
On the 30th, Seoul City and SH Corporation announced that they will officially announce the land compensation plan on May 1 to implement the full-scale redevelopment project of Guryong Village. After the announcement of the compensation plan, landowners and other stakeholders can file objections regarding the land survey and property investigation for 14 days. Subsequently, follow-up procedures such as holding a compensation council meeting, appraisal, and calculation of compensation will be conducted, followed by the announcement of negotiation contracts and relocation measures in October this year. The land subject to compensation within the project area includes 485 parcels (546 stakeholders including owners), and there are 2,224 affected facilities such as residential buildings (1,107 households).
Guryong Village is an area where displaced residents from previous urban maintenance projects formed an unauthorized shantytown on farmland. Although redevelopment projects have been attempted several times before, they failed, leaving it as the only shantytown in Seoul for 12 years. Since then, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has been pushing forward the redevelopment project again through land acquisition by SH Corporation. The original plan was to supply 2,838 apartment units (1,107 rental units and 1,731 sale units), but a plan to supply a large complex of over 3,600 units through high-density development by increasing the floor area ratio is currently under review.
Additionally, Seoul City and SH Corporation have introduced a 'Relocation Support Plan for Guryong Village Residents' to assist those displaced by the fire that occurred in January, who are currently living in tents. Among the 1,107 households residing in Guryong Village, rental deposits and rents will be fully supported or waived for fire victims living in tents, basic livelihood security recipients, and near-poverty households. For other residents, the rental deposit will be fully waived, and rent reduction will be expanded from the existing 40% to 60% to support temporary relocation.
As of this month, among the 1,107 households in Guryong Village, 231 are basic livelihood security recipients, 36 are near-poverty households, and 840 are other residents. Among the basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty households, those eligible for housing benefits will receive full rent support through housing benefits, while those not eligible will have their rent fully waived.
According to the support plan, SH Corporation plans to individually notify the 1,107 resident households about the relocation support measures next month and apply rent reductions starting May 1. Since 76% of the household heads are elderly aged 60 or older, application guidance will also be provided through direct visits. For fire victims, relocation will be allowed before May 1 considering their safety.
Yeo Jang-kwon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Balanced Development Headquarters, said, "The fundamental measure to ensure housing stability for Guryong Village residents exposed to frequent disasters is the prompt relocation and rapid promotion of urban development projects." He added, "With the implementation of this relocation support plan, we hope that residents facing difficulties in livelihood, including fire victims living in tents, will be able to relocate quickly and live in a safe and comfortable environment."
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