[Yongsan's Future] Vice Chair Kim Sun-ah: "Urban regeneration that restarts economic engines, Yongsan is one of them"

Interview with Kim Seon-a, Vice President of the Korea Urban Planners Association
Yongsan from the Perspective of 'Urban Regeneration'
"We Must Fill Empty Spaces While Considering Future Roles"

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 presidential office relocation, Yongsan has established itself as the new center of power in the Republic of Korea, and development plans have also begun in earnest. There is a growing demand for expanding 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, Yongsan still harbors underdeveloped residential areas. Experts believe that Seoul must focus on Yongsan to enhance its global competitiveness as a city where power, business, history, and culture coexist. In this sense, Yongsan represents both the present and future of Korean cities.

"Urban regeneration is about reactivating the economic engine of a city. Therefore, Yongsan can also be seen as a form of urban regeneration."

Kim Seon-ah, Vice President of the Korea Urban Planners Association and CEO of Spacing Engineering Architecture Office, viewed the ongoing transformation in Yongsan from the perspective of 'regeneration' in an interview with Asia Economy. This means reactivating a city that has lost its function due to industrial and era changes.

Understanding how the concept of urban regeneration began in Europe helps grasp its meaning. Vice President Kim explained, "With the start of the digital revolution in the 1980s, the secondary industry could no longer function within cities. Cities exist fundamentally as economic engines. The principle of urban regeneration is to make the city generate (function) again." She mentioned domestic examples such as World Cup Park in Nanji Island and the restoration of Cheonggyecheon as parts of urban regeneration.

Vice President Kim introduced that some European cities began urban regeneration in the 1990s by adapting to industrial changes. She said, "In Europe, cities developed around fortress walls forming 'rings.' As cities expanded and train stations were built outside these rings, industrial complexes moved to the outskirts. Filling the emptied city centers became part of regeneration."

Vice President of the Korean Urban Planners Association, Seonah Kim, CEO of Spacing Engineering Architecture Office Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

How to Fill the 'Empty City Center' of Yongsan

Yongsan is currently at the stage of filling its emptied city center. The Yongsan US military base, which had been there for 100 years, is gradually relocating to Pyeongtaek, and sites such as the Yongsan Maintenance Depot and the electronics market are also slated for development. Although the foundation for transformation into an international business district and Yongsan Park has been laid, at this stage, it remains an 'empty space.'

So, how should Yongsan, with its many empty spaces, be filled to enable Seoul to function anew? As a model case, Vice President Kim pointed to Milan, Italy. Milan has a modernized mixed-use district called 'CityLife.' The Expo site, which had occupied a space in the city center for a long time, was relocated to the outskirts, turning the vacant space into a massive development area. World-renowned architects gathered through an international competition, and as a result, the modern urban CityLife was created. The old expo site transformed into a vast district combining office, residential, commercial, green, and public spaces. Vice President Kim added, "There were more than ten projects in Milan that reconfigured urban districts like CityLife."

The key point here is the connection of the entire city centered on a green network. Vice President Kim said, "Milan structured the entire city and developed districts through green networks (green spaces) and blue networks (waterfronts). Every major development site always had green spaces at its core, connected to other districts. Seoul also needs to create a network that allows not only Yongsan but the entire city to function together."

Especially from a 21st-century perspective, green spaces are not peripheral but become the 'center,' according to Vice President Kim. She explained, "Main activities take place inside, and the outside, as the side, is not just a space for leisure or passage but can be an important space where everyday life unfolds." It is necessary to consider qualitative aspects, not just the quantity of green spaces. Vice President Kim elaborated, "In the 20th century, there was a reflection on the dichotomy between nature and city, leading to efforts to increase green spaces quantitatively. The 21st century should move toward cities where nature and urban life coexist. Instead of planting ten trees randomly, planting one magnificent tree in the precisely needed location to create 'space' is more important."

Yongsan Must Fulfill Its Role as the 'Center of the City'

Vice President of the Korean Urban Planners Association, Kim Seon-ah, CEO of Spacing Engineering Architecture Office Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

Additionally, Vice President Kim emphasized that Yongsan's function has changed from the past. Yongsan, which once served as a logistics hub outside the four gates of the Hanyang Fortress, has now become the center of an expanded Seoul. She said, "Yongsan is now centrally located both horizontally and vertically. We need to consider how it should function as the city’s core rather than as an outskirts area."

Ultimately, Vice President Kim stressed that Yongsan must play a pivotal role in the future city beyond its geographical position as a transportation hub. She stated, "Development directions should be considered in connection with future plans for the surrounding areas of Yongsan. A plan on how to structure the entire city is necessary." In other words, Yongsan, located at the heart of the urban challenges Seoul will face, must contemplate its role.

She added, "Redevelopment focusing only on individual districts was a phenomenon of the late 20th century. The 21st-century 'master plan' should create a network that makes the entire city function. A plan that gives the impression of the whole city regenerating in an interconnected way is needed."