Gumi Seonsan-eup Reborn with Apartment-Level Residential Environment... 25 Billion Won Invested

Wanjeon and Dongbu Districts, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport New:Village Contest

Urban Design Transformation of Gumi, a City Where You Want to Stay and Live

The Wanjeon and Dongbu districts in Seonsan-eup, Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk, were finally selected on the 23rd for the ‘2024 New:Village Contest’ hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Conceptual map of Seonsan New Village. Provided by Gumi City.

This project targets approximately 83,126㎡ in the Wanjeon-ri and Dongbu-ri areas, with a total budget of 25 billion KRW (15 billion KRW from the national government, 2.5 billion KRW from the provincial government, and 7.5 billion KRW from the city government). It will be implemented over five years from next year through 2029. The goal is to improve the local residential environment and revitalize private housing maintenance.

The New:Village project is a new policy launched by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport starting in 2024. Its core is to provide living infrastructure to low-rise residential areas (detached houses, villas, row houses, etc.) that are not apartments, creating a residential environment comparable to that of apartments. Various incentives such as fund loans and relaxation of urban and architectural regulations are also provided to enable private-led reconstruction.

In the Wanjeon and Dongbu districts of Seonsan-eup, a complex living and cultural hub will be created, including parking lots, multipurpose plazas (parks), and living culture centers. Additionally, the plan is to expand roads and enhance safety and convenience in the residential environment by installing smart security lights and CCTV, laying the foundation for revitalizing private reconstruction.

In the past, Seonsan-eup flourished as a center of history and tradition, once reaching a peak population of 24,000. However, since the 1995 urban-rural integration, population has decreased to about 14,000 due to administrative office relocations, industrial structural changes, and worsening economic conditions. The proportion of aging buildings has reached 81.4%, leading to continued regional decline.

In response, Gumi City has set balanced urban-rural development as a core administrative direction under the 8th elected mayor’s pledge and has actively promoted projects to revitalize the old downtown area. Especially through tailored local planning and proactive responses, it achieved excellent results in document screening, on-site inspections, and final evaluations, ultimately being selected as one of 32 project sites nationwide?a remarkable achievement.

Gumi City plans to continue focusing all administrative efforts on successfully implementing the Gumi-type urban revitalization project to create a ‘Happy Gumi, a Gumi where people want to live.’

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, “The selection for this New:Village project is the fruit of the united efforts of the administration and citizens. We expect it to provide a more pleasant living environment for Seonsan-eup residents and greatly contribute to revitalizing the local economy.”

Final leading project sites (32 locations). Provided by Gumi City