Review of Achievements and Future Plans During the Government's Two and a Half Years
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to select the first phase of new town pilot districts this year and will undertake nationwide redevelopment of aging planned cities next year. It also announced plans to further specify projects started this year, such as the introduction of a reconstruction fast-track and the New Village project, to contribute to market stabilization.
On the 19th, marking the midpoint of the current administration’s term, MOLIT reviewed major policy achievements and future policy directions in the land and transportation sector and made these announcements.
MOLIT will continue to focus all efforts on supporting redevelopment and reconstruction projects next year as well as this year. The selection process for first-phase new town pilot districts, currently comprising more than 26,000 households, is underway, and support is being provided for establishing basic plans for aging planned cities in local areas.
Since its launch in May 2022, the government has supported redevelopment projects. MOLIT stated that as it accelerated redevelopment projects, the number of complexes in Seoul passing safety inspections last year reached 71, about 16 times the annual average of 4.4 complexes from 2018 to 2022. Nationwide, about 13 complexes passed safety inspections annually on average, but last year this number increased to 163.
The reconstruction speed was also increased by easing safety inspection regulations. Previously, complexes over 30 years old could establish a reconstruction promotion committee and obtain approval for forming a union only after passing the safety inspection. Now, they can establish the promotion committee and proceed with the union formation approval process before undergoing the safety inspection.
Additionally, MOLIT will disclose the New Village project map within the year. The New Village project targets aging low-rise residential areas where redevelopment is difficult, providing infrastructure and convenience facilities and supporting housing maintenance as a package.
Furthermore, to increase housing supply, a candidate site for 30,000 households near Seoul will be selected in the first half of next year. So far, the government has announced new land candidate sites for 215,000 households. These include 46,000 households in Gimpo Hangang 2 in 2022, 33,000 households in Pyeongtaek Jije in June last year, 80,000 households in Guri Topyeong 2 and Yongin Idong in November last year, and 50,000 households in the Seoripul district of Seoul this month.
In the transportation sector, the metropolitan area’s wide-area express railway (GTX) will open additional lines next year to alleviate congestion in the metropolitan area. Since the GTX-A line opened in March, travel time from Suseo to Dongtan has been reduced from 70 minutes to 20 minutes.
In local areas, connectivity between regions will be strengthened through projects such as the local wide-area express railway (x-TX) to form a single economic living zone centered on major cities. Also, strict schedule management will be implemented to ensure timely openings of airports that can boost regional economies, such as Gadeokdo New Airport and Daegu Gyeongbuk New Airport.
Meanwhile, MOLIT will also expand advanced logistics infrastructure. To respond to the rapidly changing logistics market, including e-commerce, it will develop related new technologies through research and development (R&D).
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