"‘If Delayed Until Next Year, Project May Be Postponed’... Year-End Seoul City Permit Rush"

Redevelopment and reconstruction associations awaiting approval reviews from the Seoul Metropolitan Government are on high alert. With a flood of review agenda items at the end of the year, there is a risk that the evaluations could be postponed until next year. Concerns are rising that due to possible personnel changes among the staff and increased policy uncertainty caused by impeachment proceedings, the review process next year may not proceed as swiftly as it does now. Seoul City has decided to expedite the reviews within this year by scheduling additional review sessions.

A candidate site for rapid integrated redevelopment planning in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to industry sources on the 22nd, Seoul City plans to hold additional meetings on the 24th and 27th to review redevelopment and reconstruction maintenance plans under the rapid integrated planning method. Including the meeting held on the 16th (Urban Planning Committee Rapid Integrated Planning Delegated Subcommittee), there will have been three review sessions this month alone. A city official explained, "Our policy is to review agenda items as quickly as possible once they are submitted, but due to the large number of submissions, we have scheduled additional sessions."

Typically, 3 to 4 agenda items are presented per meeting, but recently this number has increased up to the maximum of 8. At the end of last month, agenda items from redevelopment sites with significant market impact such as Apgujeong, Yeouido, and Mokdong were concentrated, leading to meetings held over two days. Including the main Urban Planning Committee meetings, a total of 32 agenda items have been processed from the end of last month to the present.

The associations are waiting for the reviews to be approved within this year. This is because there is a possibility that the staff in charge, such as team leaders and section chiefs, may be replaced due to personnel reshuffles. In fact, Seoul City is scheduled to conduct personnel transfers for department heads, bureau chiefs, team leaders, and section chiefs on the 26th. A representative from a reconstruction association said, "Usually, the team leader or section chief in charge submits the review report, so if the responsible personnel change, confusion arises," adding, "Reviews could be delayed by one or two months, so most associations want to complete the reviews within this year to minimize variables."

In particular, this time, political instability has intensified with President Yoon Seok-yeol’s declaration of martial law and the passage of the impeachment motion, leading associations to hasten their permit applications. There is an analysis that the current Seoul City policy direction, which aims to enhance the feasibility of redevelopment and reconstruction projects and speed up housing supply by reducing permit procedures, could be shaken by the effects of an early presidential election and other political changes.

An industry insider said, "The reason the reviews could proceed quickly was partly due to Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s strong drive," adding, "Given the political changes following the impeachment, it is uncertain whether Seoul City will maintain the current pace of permit approvals."