Han River and Namsan All Included... 40-Year-Old Yongsan Apartment Rebuilt as 50-Story Building

Seoul City Rapid Integrated Planning Confirmed

Seobinggo Shindonga, an apartment complex along the Han River with views of Namsan, located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, will be reconstructed into a large complex of up to 50 floors and approximately 1,840 households.

Perspective view of the Shindonga reconstruction in Seobinggo, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. (Provided by Seoul City)

On the 19th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it had finalized the rapid integrated planning proposal for the reconstruction project of Seobinggo Shindonga.

According to the rapid integrated planning proposal, Seobinggo Shindonga will be reborn as a "landscape-specialized complex embracing Namsan and the Han River." A flexible height plan was applied to avoid damaging the Namsan view and to prevent a uniform landscape along the Han River. The buildings closest to the Han River will be around 15 to 20 floors high, while the highest floors within the complex will be raised to 35 to 50 floors, creating a stepped skyline. Considering the location with the Han River to the south and Yongsan Park and Namsan to the north, the complex is designed to allow residents to enjoy views of both the Han River and the park. Design towers will be placed at the junctions visible from Banpo Bridge and Dongjak Bridge.

The traffic system in the Ichon-dong and Seobinggo-dong areas will also be improved during the reconstruction process. The number of entry points from Gangbyeonbuk-ro toward Ichon-dong will be expanded from one to two to alleviate traffic congestion. The underground road intersections connecting Gangbyeonbuk-ro, Seobinggo-ro, and the Han River will be eliminated.

To connect Seoul’s north-south green axis stretching from Bukaksan Mountain to Namsan, the Han River, and Gwanaksan Mountain, two new north-south linear parks and elevated pedestrian bridges linking Yongsan Park and the Han River will be established. Additionally, public pedestrian pathways will be created along the railway and the Han River to transform spaces fragmented by the railway and Gangbyeonbuk-ro. A Seoul city official stated, "Once the Jamsu Bridge is converted into a pedestrian bridge, the green and pedestrian network connecting the Han River, local areas, Gangbuk, and Gangnam will be completed, linking the Ichon living area and Banpo district into a single living zone."

Multipurpose sports facilities will be introduced beneath the parks created through the reconstruction.

Location map of Seobinggo Shindong-A, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. (Provided by Seoul City)

Seobinggo Shindonga, completed in 1984, holds an important location and landscape value as it embraces both Namsan and the Han River, but its potential has been underutilized due to uniform apartment landscapes and isolation caused by infrastructure such as railways and Gangbyeonbuk-ro. The Ichon Han River living area will undergo sequential reconstruction starting with this Shindonga project.

Jo Nam-jun, head of the Urban Space Headquarters, said, "Significant urban spatial changes are expected in the Yongsan area, including the Yongsan International Business District and the restructuring of Gangbyeonbuk-ro. As reconstruction proceeds sequentially starting with this project, the northern Han River landscape of the Ichon Han River living area is expected to be newly reshaped."