[Interview] Ryoo Kyung-gi, Jungnang District Mayor, "Creating a Premium Self-Sufficient City with Housing, Jobs, and Culture through Gangbuk Grand Renovation"

Seoul City Plans Active Promotion of Key Projects in Line with ‘Gangbuk Area Grand Renovation - Gangbuk Renaissance’ Policy
Expect Large-Scale Development around GTX-B Sangbong Station Complex Transfer Center and Sinnae Vehicle Depot
District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi: "Added Momentum to Local Issues Will Mark a Turning Point for Large-Scale Development"

“Through the ‘Gangbuk Area Grand Renovation’ plan, we will actively promote the transformation of Jungnang-gu into a premium self-sufficient city where housing, jobs, and culture harmoniously coexist.”

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, expressed his expectations in a recent interview, stating that Seoul’s Gangbuk Area Grand Renovation plan will be a valuable opportunity to open the ‘golden age of Jungnang.’

Seoul’s ‘Gangbuk Area Grand Renovation ? The Gangbuk Renaissance’ aims to revitalize the Gangbuk area, which has fallen into a bedroom community, by easing regulations on aging residential and commercial areas to activate development, and by transforming large-scale idle land into hubs for advanced industries and job creation, thereby ushering in a ‘Gangbuk Renaissance.’

The district expects that this announcement will add momentum to local pending projects and serve as a turning point for large-scale development.

First, regarding the plan to improve a pleasant residential environment, it is anticipated that the redevelopment projects in Jungnang-gu will gain significant momentum as the number of aging apartments over 30 years old is gradually increasing. Jungnang-gu has already designated 25 sites?the highest among Seoul’s autonomous districts?as candidates for housing development, actively promoting projects with expectations of changing the Jungnang skyline through development.

In January 2023, the district established the ‘Housing Development Promotion Team,’ a dedicated organization for housing development, and formed the ‘Housing Development Support Group,’ consisting of resident representatives and experts. This group has played a role as a facilitator for swift housing development by supporting everything from feasibility analysis to housing development education and conflict resolution, while communicating with residents and experts to ensure smooth project implementation and strengthen local response capabilities.

Additionally, development around the Sinnae Vehicle Depot area is expected to gain momentum. This area was selected as a target for the introduction of the ‘White Site (Balanced Development Pre-Negotiation System),’ which mandates job-creating enterprises and allows developers to pursue desired uses.

The Sinnae Vehicle Depot is the last large-scale available site near Sinnae IC. The plan is to convert the 50,000-pyeong vehicle depot into corporate land, creating a bio-based 4th generation advanced industry and mixed-use business and commercial complex. The integrated development will include Jungnang Public Garage, Myeonmok Line Vehicle Depot, and Sinnae 4 Public Housing, forming a three-dimensional complex city where advanced industries, general business districts, cultural facilities, and residences coexist.

The Sinnae IC area is undergoing continuous urban expansion, with particular advantages such as convenient access to the IC, low rental costs, and economic efficiency due to industrial agglomeration. The district is promoting urban development projects as growth engines, including the relocation of the SH headquarters and the opening of the 1st and 2nd Knowledge Industry Centers, as well as establishing a ‘Feasibility Study for the Utilization Plan of Sinnae Vehicle Depot.’ These efforts align with Seoul’s plan to accelerate development.

Furthermore, the GTX-B Sangbong Station Complex Transfer Center is planned to be developed as a future-oriented complex transfer center integrating various transportation systems such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM), GTX, KTX, subway, and trunk buses, and as a large-scale commercial and cultural hub that can dramatically drive regional economic development.

The GTX Sangbong Station Complex Transfer Center project completed its feasibility study and basic plan in January, securing project viability. On April 4, a kickoff meeting was held for the establishment of guidelines for private sector operator recruitment, marking steady progress toward creating a metropolitan transportation hub.

The railway, which had hindered efficient land development, is now seen as a new opportunity following the enactment of the ‘Special Act on Undergrounding Railway Lines’ in January. Since the 9.1 km section of national rail lines including the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and Gyeongchun Line runs through the area, the district plans to actively respond to be selected as a lead project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The district also welcomes Seoul’s significant announcement to expand commercial area coverage, which applies to large-scale idle lands such as vehicle depots and station areas. Currently, only 0.37 km² (2%) of Jungnang-gu’s total 18.53 km² is classified as commercial area under urban planning. Once detailed guidelines related to the non-application of the commercial area total volume system are established, the district plans to actively encourage “upzoning to commercial areas” to expand commercial and office uses within district unit planning zones (special planning zones), including private development projects and station area revitalization projects.

Lastly, the plan to expand emotional cultural spaces by hubs to create a garden city is also highly welcomed by residents. In particular, the district plans to actively negotiate to create a themed park linked to the representative festival, the Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival, as part of the ‘Dongbu Expressway Upper Park Project,’ aiming to transform it into a local landmark.

Moreover, through the Mukdongcheon Riverside Vitality Hub project, selected in last year’s Seoul city public contest and currently underway, a terrace-style observation caf? (2 floors, total floor area 334㎡) is scheduled to be completed before the 2025 Rose Festival (April 2025).

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, stated, “Through the Gangbuk area revitalization policy projects for balanced development between Gangnam and Gangbuk, we will equip local pending projects with momentum and proceed with development swiftly and surely. We will do our best to create a premium self-sufficient city where housing, jobs, and culture harmoniously coexist through the announced Gangbuk Grand Renovation.”