Gangnam Large-scale Shantytown 'Guryong Village', 3,520 Households Including Long-term Lease Created

Upzoning of Residential Land for Apartment Complexes
From 2,838 to 3,520 Households, Increase of 682 Units
600 Long-Term Jeonse Housing Units Planned
Expansion of Small-Sized Rental Housing Areas

The last remaining large-scale shantytown in Gangnam, Seoul, Guryong Village, is set to begin construction as early as next year. The revised development plan has been approved, increasing the number of households from the original plan. A total of 3,520 households will be created, including 600 long-term lease homes for newlyweds.

Map of Guryong Village (Source: Seoul City)

On the 31st, Seoul City announced that the 7th Urban Planning Committee held on the 29th approved the 'Gaepo (Guryong Village) Urban Development Zone Development Plan Amendment and Landscape Review (Draft)' with modifications.

Guryong Village is a shantytown formed under Daemosan Mountain in Gaepo-dong 567-1, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, densely packed with unauthorized buildings. The area is 267,466㎡, equivalent to about 40 soccer fields. In 2016, through the Urban Planning Committee review, it was designated as an urban development zone and a development plan was established. Since 2011, Mayor Oh Se-hoon proposed public-led development plans, but development was delayed for a long time due to conflicts between local governments and residents over compensation methods.

Looking at the revised project plan, the number of households will increase by 682 from the original 2,838 to 3,520. The number of sale housing units has increased by 82 to 1,813, and rental housing units have increased by 600 to 1,707. The maximum number of floors has been raised from 15-20 floors to 20-25 floors.

Seoul City changed the project plan to respond to policy and upper-level plan changes such as the 2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan and the demands of users after designating the Guryong Village zone. The surrounding conditions of the project site have also changed as adjacent Gaepo Jugong complexes 1 to 4 are being reconstructed.

To resolve polarization between rental and sale housing, the housing sizes have been increased and the types of housing supply diversified. With the increase in floor area ratio, the housing sizes supplied changed from 21-84㎡ exclusive area to 31-84㎡. Previously, only public sale, general sale, national rental, and permanent rental housing were planned to be supplied, but long-term lease housing has also been added to the supply types.

Seoul City plans to supply 600 long-term lease homes for newlyweds and others in Guryong Village. The recruitment for long-term lease housing tenants is planned for the second half of 2026. A Seoul City official said, "We plan to complete land acquisition by the end of this year and expect supply to be possible by 2028 after construction starts."

Seoul City stated, "By expanding the size of rental housing, which was mainly small-sized, and applying Seoul-style construction costs to improve rental housing quality, we expect to contribute to stabilizing housing for low-income residents and improving the residential environment."

Through this review, the zoning for apartment housing land within the entire site was upgraded from Type 2 General Residential Area to Type 3 General Residential Area. As the zoning for blocks M, B1, B2, and B3, where apartments will be built, was upgraded, the floor area ratio increased from the previous 160-170% to 230-240%.

To preserve the landscape of Daemosan and Guryongsan Mountains and create a harmonious skyline, the floor area ratio was limited to 230-240%, and the maximum number of floors was restricted to 20-25 floors. In particular, buildings adjacent to the mountains will be arranged to be 15 floors or less considering the surrounding landscape. The land use plan was also changed to expand roads within the complex and enhance convenience facilities. Additional traffic improvement measures for general vehicles, public transportation, and pedestrians were prepared to minimize the impact of the zoning upgrade.

Seoul City plans to announce the development plan amendment reflecting the revised contents and approve the implementation plan amendment in the second half of this year. Compensation procedures are underway aiming for construction to start in 2025.

Meanwhile, SH Corporation announced the relocation measures for Guryong Village at the end of last year. It decided to provide housing rights for rental housing under 55㎡ exclusive area built in Guryong Village to homeless members owning unauthorized buildings. Those who owned legal residential buildings before May 15, 2015, or whose unauthorized residential buildings were confirmed before January 24, 1989, can receive apartment sale rights. Those who voluntarily relocate will be granted the right to receive sale housing under 60㎡ exclusive area.