'Icheon-dong Bando' Joins Reconstruction... Han River Skyline to Change

Yongsan District Office Begins Detailed Safety Inspection Service
Project Moves Forward 46 Years After Completion Thanks to Floor Limit Removal
Reconstruction Accelerates Near Hangang Mansion and Hangang Samik Complex

The Bando Apartments along the Han River in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a "traditional affluent neighborhood," are challenging reconstruction. After 46 years since their completion in 1977, they are about to undergo a detailed safety inspection. Although a floor area ratio exceeding 200% has been an obstacle, the path has opened up as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon abolished the 35-story height limit through the ‘2040 Urban Basic Plan.’ Once projects like Hangang Mansion and Hangang Samik, which are already undergoing reconstruction, are completed, the skyline along the Han River in Yongsan is expected to be completely redrawn.

According to the maintenance industry on the 18th, Yongsan-gu Office commissioned a detailed safety inspection service for the reconstruction of Bando Apartments on the 15th. This apartment complex, completed in 1977 along the Ichon Han River, is a small-scale complex with two buildings, a maximum of 12 floors, and 199 households.

Since the first luxury apartment targeting the middle class, Hangang Mansion, was built in Ichon-dong in 1971, a boom of "high-priced apartments" occurred, and Bando Apartments were also built during this period. All units consist only of large exclusive areas of 136㎡, 166A㎡, 167B㎡, and 197㎡. The neighboring Rex Apartments (completed in 1974) have already transformed into the tallest Han River apartment, Raemian Chellitus (56 floors), through one-to-one reconstruction.

Bando Apartments also saw movements toward reconstruction and remodeling around 2000, but with a high floor area ratio of 214% and weak resident initiative, it has not materialized until now. A real estate agent in Ichon-dong explained, "Discussions have been ongoing for a long time, but due to the high floor area ratio and residents' high satisfaction with living, the pace has been slower than other complexes," adding, "There are almost no listings available."

However, after Mayor Oh Se-hoon's inauguration, the ‘2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan,’ including the 35-story height limit along the Han River, was finalized, and with the government's easing of reconstruction regulations, momentum for the project has been regained.

Besides Bando Apartments, other complexes already pursuing reconstruction are accelerating their pace by seeking changes such as increasing the number of floors, supported by regulatory relaxation. Notably, Hangang Mansion received management disposition approval last year and recently submitted a plan change to Yongsan-gu Office to increase the height from the existing 35 floors to 68 floors. However, legal disputes with commercial property owners may delay the project.

Along with Bando Apartments, the three small-scale reconstruction complexes in Ichon-dong?Hangang Samik and Wanggung Apartments?have each obtained project implementation approval and association establishment approval, respectively, putting them on track, but they are experiencing ups and downs due to various issues. Hangang Samik faces conflicts among association members over contributions and views, while Wanggung Apartments have announced their intention to withdraw from the public reconstruction project they were pursuing.

If these various obstacles are overcome and reconstruction in the area is completed, the Han River skyline in Ichon-dong is expected to be dramatically transformed. A Seoul city official said, "For complexes proposing creative and innovative designs, height regulations will be applied flexibly," adding, "However, ultra-high-rise buildings will not be uniformly permitted; appropriate height plans can be established considering regional characteristics and site-specific conditions."