[Yongsan's Future] Park Hee-young, Yongsan District Mayor: "Ma-Yong-Seong is Over... Now It's the Era of Yongsan as the Sole Leader"

'Not Mayongseong, Now SKY (Seocho·Gangnam·Yongsan)'
District Offices as Bridges Connecting Residents, Government, and Seoul City
Efforts to Prevent Resident Alienation During Development
Yongsan Development Must Consider Changes in Foot Traffic
Meticulous Planning Needed Considering Ripple Effects
Comprehensive Transportation System Improvement and Population Change Study Underway

Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 14th, "Now is the era of Yongsan as the top priority," adding, "Yongsan development is just beginning in earnest from now on." Provided by Yongsan District Office.

"In the heart of Seoul. A 3 million square meter vacant lot, the only one left in Seoul." "A redevelopment site of 1,112,05 square meters along the Han River, set to become a premier affluent area with 12,466 households." "A landmark building 100 stories high. The world's largest vertical city, 4.4 times the size of Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York, and 4.5 times that of Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, Japan. Total construction cost: 51 trillion won."

All these "facts" point to one place. You may have already guessed. They all refer to "Yongsan, Seoul." You might have thought such things could never happen, but they are becoming reality. Since the presidential office relocation, the opening of Yongsan Children's Garden and other phased openings have accelerated. The development of an 180,000 square meter site scattered around Yongsan Park, including Camp Kim, the UN military headquarters, and the transportation department, is also at the realization stage.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the Yongsan International Business District development plan last February, and the city will designate the urban development zone and announce the development plan next month. Nearly 90% of residents have already relocated from Hannam 3 District in Hannam-dong, where about 6,000 apartments will be built.

Yongsan Development: The Real Beginning Starts Now

On the 14th, in a meeting at the district office, Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan District, said, "It is no longer the Han River belt of 'Mapo, Yongsan, Seongdong,' but the era of Yongsan as the top priority," adding, "Yongsan development is now entering its full-fledged start." Many projects happening in Yongsan are large-scale national projects or require concentrated administrative capacity and resources from Seoul City. Mayor Park said, "The district office must serve as a bridge connecting residents, the central government, and Seoul City," and "We are working hard through policy coordination with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Seoul City to ensure that residents who have protected this land are not marginalized during the development process."

Mayor Park emphasized that just because many projects are under the authority of the government and Seoul City, Yongsan District should not remain passive. Since the district knows the area best, its role as a local government with planning authority and active opinion expression is essential for the success of the projects.

Yongsan District has proactively advocated for the inclusion of an international school and a general hospital with an emergency room within the International Business District development plan. They have also considered ways to create synergy with surrounding areas and alternatives for an integrated transportation system. Mayor Park mentioned that the district actively provided opinions regarding the demolition of the Samgakji overpass and the construction of a four-lane underground road announced by the city in April.

This is a view of Yongsan-gu from the 63 Building. District Mayor Park Hee-young predicted, "The population of Yongsan will be at least twice as large as it is now in 10 years." Provided by Yongsan-gu.

Yongsan’s Population to Double in 10 Years

Mayor Park said, "Yongsan development differs in nature and scale from developments in other areas." Accordingly, the organization was structured to match this, and the staff’s efforts are equally significant. Since early last year, the district has operated a task force (TF) for the International Business District development project. The deputy mayor serves as the general TF leader, the director of the Urban Management Bureau leads the practical TF, and 10 related departments participate. This TF plays a proactive role from the development plan formulation stage by comprehensively reviewing each field within the development site, unifying communication channels for each project phase, and reviewing residents' opinions and inconveniences. The establishment of the Strategic Urban Development Team to oversee external cooperation related to urban development is also a measure taken to ensure organic communication with Seoul City.

Mayor Park explained, "We spent 600 million won of district funds to conduct a 'Comprehensive Transportation System Improvement and Management Plan Study,' and we have now started a 'Population Change Response Study' because meticulous planning is necessary considering the ripple effects of Yongsan development." He emphasized, "The International Business District development requires examining not only the residential population changes there but also the development of the wider surrounding area and changes in floating population. Additionally, we must consider changes in floating population due to the opening of Yongsan Park, tourist influx, and population changes from the reconstruction of Hannam New Town and Ichon-dong." Mayor Park said, "Once the study results come out at the end of this year, we will be able to make concrete projections," adding, "In 10 years, Yongsan’s population will be about 400,000, roughly double what it is now."

Not ‘Mayongseong’ but Now ‘SKY’

Mayor Park said, "While the International Business District is currently the most noticeable, to properly understand Yongsan, one must also pay attention to major developments in the surrounding areas." During the conversation, he coined the new term ‘SKY,’ which does not refer to universities but to Seocho, Gangnam, and Yongsan (SKY).

Development on the east side of the International Business District, including the front of Yongsan Station and around the International Building, is nearing completion, but the west, south, and north sides have yet to break ground properly. The Sanho Apartments on the west side are undergoing reconstruction with a height limit of 50 floors, and next to it, the Hyundai Motor Service Center site is under construction for a future mobility and automotive research institute. Around the rainwater pumping station located between the Han River and the Yongsan International Business District, a study is underway to designate a maintenance zone, and a maintenance plan for a residential complex on the south side of the pumping station along Ichon-ro will be publicly announced next month.

The northern Yongsan Electronics Market is being developed as a digital and metaverse (extended virtual world) new industry hub linked with the International Business District, according to Seoul City’s ‘Yongsan Meta Valley’ plan. The area north of Sinyongsan Station, between the Gyeongbu Line railway and Hangang-daero, is divided into two zones for development. Seobu Ichon-dong, just one street away from the International Business District, is promoting a rapid integrated planning project, and the abandoned Jeungsan Demonstration Apartments are in the process of official negotiations for the sale of public land.

Yongsan boasts excellent railway networks such as the Gyeongbu Line, Gyeongui Line, and Jungang Line, as well as road connections like Hannam-daero, Hangang-ro, and Wonhyo-ro. However, the elevated railway causes severe east-west division, and the presence of the U.S. military base has distorted traffic axes. Mayor Park cited transportation issues as the key factor determining Yongsan’s development success for these reasons.

Mayor Park said, "I hope the central government and Seoul City will listen carefully to the opinions of the local government and fully reflect our position so that Yongsan’s future can be systematically prepared."

District Mayor Park Hee-young is explaining the recent development status to reporters in front of the 'Yongsan-gu Development Project Progress Map.' Provided by Yongsan-gu.