[Yongsan's Future] Namsan Held Back by the Past, Changing Seoul's 'Skyline'

⑧ Namsan Alongside Yongsan's Transformation... From Joseon Shrine Site to Anki-bu Shadows
Seoul's Iconic Space... Citizen Spaces Surrounding Walking Courses Starting with Master Plan
New Residential Areas Emerging Beyond Namsan Foothill Regulations... Focus on Hannam New Town
Residential Area Renovation Boosts Namsan's Competitiveness... "Starting Point of Urban Space Transformation"

Editor's NoteYongsan, which once held the 'forbidden land,' is entering a new turning point. The Yongsan US military base, which had been off-limits to the general public for over a century, has transformed into Yongsan Park, a space for all citizens. With the relocation of the presidential office, it has established itself as the new center of power in the Republic of Korea, and development plans have also begun in earnest. There are ongoing demands to expand its role as a center of history and culture. Despite being a 'prime piece of land' along the Han River connecting Namsan and the Han River in the heart of Seoul, it still harbors underdeveloped residential areas. Experts emphasize that to enhance Seoul's global competitiveness as a city where power, business, history, and culture coexist, attention must be paid to Yongsan. In that sense, Yongsan represents both the present and future of Korean cities.

Namsan, the mountain of Seoul citizens, is undergoing a major transformation. The surrounding area, which had been restricted under the name of a 'height restriction zone' for 50 years, has begun a complete overhaul due to changes in urban conditions and aging housing issues. A bold experiment to maximize its use as a tourist resource by installing a 'gondola' has also started. Experts emphasize that Namsan, which has served as 'Seoul's symbol' since its designation as a park in 1940, must now fulfill a new mission for the era. To grow competitive as a world-class city, it must embrace change.

The new face of Namsan aligns with the changes in Yongsan. At the heart of Seoul's grand transformation, Yongsan is undergoing massive urban redevelopment projects such as the development of the international business district, undergrounding of railroads, and opening of Yongsan Park, alongside efforts to renovate aging residential areas. These changes are taking place at the foot of Namsan, located in the northeastern part of Yongsan. Representative examples include Haebangchon, a so-called 'self-sustaining residential area,' and the Hannam-dong redevelopment zone, which has remained undeveloped for decades as one of Seoul's representative undeveloped areas. The transformation of Namsan is also the transformation of Seoul's citizens.

Old Namsan Joseon Shrine (left) and the Governor-General's Residence. [Photo by Seoul City]

Namsan, Seoul's Symbol... Returning to the Citizens' Embrace

In fact, not many people know the exact address of Namsan. The Namsan Seoul Tower located at the summit belongs to Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, while the nearby Namsan Octagonal Pavilion is in Yejang-dong, Jung-gu. The boundary between Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu divides Namsan Park from the 11 o'clock to 5 o'clock direction.

Few Seoul residents know why it is called 'Namsan.' The Chinese characters literally mean 'South Mountain.' It refers to the mountain in front, named so because it lies in front when viewed from Gyeongbokgung Palace during the Joseon Dynasty. Considering that the Joseon-era Hanyang city was within the Four Great Gates, the reason why Namsan is called 'South Mountain' despite not being located to the south is understood.

Today, Namsan is a symbol of Seoul and a top tourist destination for domestic and international visitors, but it also bears a painful history. During the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War), Japanese forces built a fortress in the area, and much later in 1925, the Japanese Government-General of Korea constructed the Chosen Shrine at the current site of Namsan Library. This is the very place where, as taught in history classes, the Japanese forced Koreans to perform shrine worship. During the construction of the Chosen Shrine, the Japanese severely damaged many parts of Namsan.

The notorious National Security Planning Agency (Ankibu), established with the launch of the Fifth Republic in 1981, also began here. This all-powerful agency, which had authority over domestic and international intelligence gathering as well as counterespionage investigations, gave rise to sayings like 'being taken to Namsan' and 'it's hard to walk out of Namsan on two feet.' Traces of this remain today. The former Ankibu headquarters at the foot of Namsan became the Seoul Youth Hostel, and buildings such as the Seoul Animation Center, TBS Traffic Broadcasting headquarters, Seoul City Hall annex, and Korean Red Cross headquarters were once Central Intelligence Agency and Ankibu buildings.

Attempts have been made to erase the past and use Namsan as a symbol of a new future. In March 2009, during his first term as mayor, Oh Se-hoon announced the 'Namsan Renaissance Master Plan,' which included demolishing all buildings, including the youth hostel, by 2015. However, during this process, the 'Governor-General's Residence site' was discovered, and academic calls for re-examining Namsan's history led to the cancellation of the demolition plan.

Today, Namsan is surrounded by walking courses representing Seoul. There are five courses totaling 7.6 km in length. Experts evaluate these as routes that allow a thorough exploration of Namsan without being difficult. Most importantly, except for the course connecting the National Theater and Baekbeom Square, all routes fall within the southern Yongsan-gu, making it easy to access hot spots popular with younger generations such as Itaewon, Yongridan-gil, and Haebangchon. Namsan has truly become a place anyone can visit.

Namsan Lagging Behind Urban Changes... Competitiveness Boosted by 'New Height Restriction Zone'

However, the fact that Namsan has not kept pace with Seoul's changes has ironically become a factor lowering Seoul's competitiveness. The 'Namsan Surrounding Height Restriction Zone,' created to preserve Namsan's landscape, has instead become a hindrance. Regulations intended to protect the scenery accelerated urban slumification.

Above all, the original purpose has faded. Since the first designation of the height restriction zone around Namsan in 1972, problems have arisen due to the prolonged system. Sporadic maintenance and development projects failed to respond to changes in urban planning, resulting in areas subject to overlapping height restrictions or where residential environment improvements were difficult due to the height restriction zone, deepening development disparities with surrounding areas.

The damage inevitably concentrated in Yongsan-gu, which has many residential areas adjacent to Namsan. Covering an area of 1.85 million square meters, residents of Huam-dong, Yongsan-dong 2-ga, Itaewon-dong, and Hannam-dong experienced inconvenience. Considering these areas were naturally settled by North Korean refugees and others after the Korean War, it means they have lived in a time frozen for decades.

In particular, Donghuam-dong suffers severe deterioration due to excessive restrictions on residents' property rights and loss of development motivation under the height restriction zone (below 20m). Across the road, Seohoam-dong is undergoing a district unit plan revision with a maximum height of 100m, causing relative deprivation feelings.

As slumification accelerated and residents' complaints surged due to difficulties in even basic road maintenance, Seoul City made a decisive move. Through the 'New Height Restriction Zone Plan,' it announced a policy to boldly lift regulations in areas where effectiveness was low.

The core is height relaxation. In the southern area of Namsan, height can be relaxed up to 45m within the scope of the Sowol-ro road surface when redevelopment projects proceed. In the northern area, if located within a station area, height can be relaxed up to 45m after review by the city’s urban planning committee according to the 'Landscape Management Guidelines.' Simply put, the low-rise aging residential areas at the foot of Namsan will now be replaced by apartment complexes up to 45m (15 floors) high.

Experts are confident that renovating the residential areas at Namsan's foot will also enhance Namsan's competitiveness. Resolving slumification around Namsan will ultimately increase Namsan's value and expand citizen access. Cho Nam-jun, head of Seoul City's Urban Space Headquarters, said, "Through the height restriction zone reform, we can improve the aging residential environment in the city center. This will be the starting point of a major urban spatial transformation."

View of the area surrounding Namsan. /

Renovation Wave Starting at Namsan's Foot... Hannam New Town and Various Reconstruction Projects Stirring

Besides the residential areas at Namsan's foot, redevelopment efforts are underway throughout Yongsan-gu. Despite excellent locations, stark disparities in residential environments have emerged, raising expectations among local residents and attracting investment inquiries from outsiders.

The largest redevelopment site in Seoul's city center, Hannam New Town, is a prime example. It is a redevelopment project covering 1.11 million square meters across Hannam, Bogwang, Itaewon, and Dongbinggo-dong. Although one of the original five zones was canceled, once all zones are redeveloped, a new residential town with 10,000 households will be formed. The largest third zone has already begun resident relocations, and some have signed construction contracts.

The canceled first zone is attempting the 'Rapid Integrated Planning' model, a flagship residential redevelopment project of Mayor Oh. This project supports private-led development with public assistance, drastically shortening redevelopment and reconstruction periods, halving the time required for permits. The current resident consent rate in the first zone is increasing as it proceeds through the selection and review process.

Among areas adjacent to Namsan, a renovation wave is also blowing in Haebangchon. Although the project is not yet concrete, expectations are growing that the height restriction zone reform will improve its feasibility. Recently, a committee composed of residents interested in development reportedly convened to discuss project plans.

Currently, the project is planned to proceed in four zones, but concerns about construction costs and feasibility are being voiced first. In some zones, opinions have emerged to secure feasibility and reduce risks through rapid integrated planning. Their common goal is a 'low-rise luxury complex' fully benefiting from the height restriction lifting.

Reconstruction projects are also prominent, especially in areas with relatively good infrastructure. Currently, there are 13 housing reconstruction projects underway throughout Yongsan-gu. Depending on the project progress, there are three sites with project implementation plan approval (Hangang Samik, Hangang Mansion, Sanho), six with association establishment approval (Wanggung, Pungjeon, Gangbyeon Gangseo, Hanyang Cheolwoo, Hannam Shibeom, Shindonga), and four with promotion committee approval (Jungsan Shibeom, Cheonghwa, Ichon 1st Zone, Huam 1st Zone), showing strong resident will for development. An official from the redevelopment industry said, "Despite excellent locations, delays in public infrastructure maintenance have led to aging and slumification of residential areas, causing long-term inconvenience for residents. However, large-scale development, reconstruction, and redevelopment are starting in various places, raising expectations for change. Still, there is a need to consider how to coordinate the development of each zone from an urban planning perspective."

Panoramic view of the Haebangchon area. /