Gangbuk-gu New Office Building Construction Accelerates... Targeting Groundbreaking in 2026

Conditional Approval of New Office Building Project by Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Central Investment Review on the 2nd Boosts Project Momentum... Construction as a Complex Office with Resident-Friendly Convenience Facilities... Survey Shows 8 out of 10 Residents Support New Building... Basic Design and Detailed Development Plan to be Established Next Year... Targeting Construction Start in 2026

Bird's-eye view of the Gangbuk-gu New Government Building

Among the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul, Gangbuk-gu, which has the oldest district office building, is accelerating the construction of a new office building.

Seoul Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Soon-hee) announced on the 2nd that the 'Gangbuk-gu New District Office Building Project,' a long-cherished wish of the residents, has passed the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Local Finance Central Investment Review, giving momentum to the project.

The new Gangbuk-gu district office is planned to be built on the current Gangbuk-gu office site. In Block 1 (site area 5,100.2㎡, Suyu-dong 192-59 area), where the Gangbuk-gu office is located, a public office building with 5 basement floors and 17 above-ground floors (total floor area 38,124㎡) will be constructed. In Block 2 (site area 3,003.5㎡, Suyu-dong 190-11 area), designated as a special planning zone for public office buildings, a resident convenience facility with 5 basement floors and 20 above-ground floors (total floor area 27,406㎡) is expected to be built.

The district has estimated the total project cost for the new office building at approximately 399.9 billion KRW and has currently accumulated 327.9 billion KRW (as of October 2023), about 82% of the required budget, in its own district office construction fund. Additional funding will be sought through national and city subsidies when introducing resident convenience facilities.

Previously, in July 2020, the district initiated a 'Feasibility Study and Basic Plan Establishment for New District Office Construction.' Following this, in June 2023, the 'Feasibility Study by the Korea Local Finance Association' was completed, and on the 2nd, the project conditionally passed the '4th Ministry of the Interior and Safety Central Investment Review.'

With the conditional approval from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Central Investment Review, the district plans to establish the 'Basic Design and Detailed Development Plan for the New District Office' starting next year. After going through detailed design and other procedures, construction is scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed by 2028, accelerating the project.

The current Gangbuk-gu district office building is a 49-year-old aging structure built in 1974 when Dobong-gu was separated from Seongbuk-gu and served as the Dobong-gu office. Since Gangbuk-gu was separated from Dobong-gu in 1995, it has been used as the Gangbuk-gu office. A detailed safety inspection conducted in 2020 rated the building as grade C, indicating widespread defects due to aging, with maintenance costs continuously increasing.

The office area (10,511.94㎡) is only about 39.87% of the standard (26,368㎡ for populations under 500,000) set by related laws (Public Property and Goods Management Act). Due to limited space, seven departments, including the Regional Economy Division, Education Support Division, and Construction Management Division, are separated into temporary and separate offices, causing inconvenience to visitors.

In an August 2021 survey on residents' opinions regarding the new office building (sample: 1,085 Gangbuk-gu residents), 81% of respondents supported the construction, while 54% expressed dissatisfaction with the current office facilities.

A district official stated, "Once the new office building is constructed, it will integrate scattered departments as well as administrative facilities such as the health center and district council, enabling one-stop administrative services. Additionally, the commercial area around Suyu Station is expected to revitalize, leading to overall regional economic activation."

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Lee Soon-hee said, "The Gangbuk-gu new district office, coexisting with the nature of Bukhansan, will become a symbolic landmark providing various social interaction opportunities beyond the traditional concept of a government office. We will promptly promote major projects that can drive regional development, such as the new office building construction and attracting the Shin-Gangbuk Line, to achieve balanced development between the northern and southern parts of the district and instill pride among residents."