Why Did Busan City Purchase Four Vacant Houses?

Selection of Sites for Vacant House Purchase and Living SOC Creation Project
Plans to Establish Dormitories for International Students and Small Sports Parks

Busan City is purchasing four vacant houses for the first time to utilize them as public assets.

Busan City (Mayor Park Hyungjun) announced on the 17th that, after evaluation by a public-private consultative body composed of vacant house experts on the 15th, it has finalized the sites for the "Vacant House Purchase and Living SOC Creation Project."

In March, Busan City held an open call for 16 districts, and among the 10 sites applied for by 7 districts, four sites in Yeongdo-gu and Dong-gu were ultimately selected.

The Vacant House Purchase and Living SOC Creation Project is being carried out as part of the implementation plan reflecting the "Innovative Measures for Vacant House Maintenance" announced by Busan City in November last year. The plan aims to purchase vacant houses in areas lacking infrastructure and transform them into living SOCs needed by residents, thereby improving the residential environment and enhancing quality of life.

The selected projects fall into two categories: ▲ "Vacant House Rental Project for Foreign Student Dormitories, etc. through Purchase of Vacant Houses" in Yeongdo-gu, and ▲ "Creation of Small-scale Sports Park through Demolition of Vacant Houses" in Dong-gu.

In Yeongdo-gu, two vacant houses located in Dongsam-dong and Cheonghak-dong will be utilized for the vacant house rental project. To this end, the city, Yeongdo-gu, and Korea Maritime and Ocean University have worked together to identify candidate sites, with plans to prioritize the creation of dormitories for international students.

In Dong-gu, two vacant houses in Sujeong-dong will be demolished, and a sports park equipped with exercise equipment will be created on the site. This area has been prone to building collapse accidents and crime, so the project aims to transform it into a safe and healthy space in response to residents' demands.

The "Public-Private Consultative Body for Vacant House Maintenance," which conducted this evaluation, was established in February with nine experts possessing extensive relevant knowledge and experience to seek solutions to the vacant house issue.

Woo Singoo, the city's chief architect and professor, serves as the head, with nine experts including Lee Seomgyeol, manager at Korea Real Estate Board, and Shin Byungyun, professor at Dong-Eui University, participating.

Going forward, the consultative body will make policy recommendations and discover and evaluate vacant house projects to resolve vacant house issues.

Mayor Park Hyungjun of Busan said, "This project is the city's first to create infrastructure by turning vacant houses into public assets, and it is expected to become a model for improving the residential environment in collaboration with the local community, going beyond simple acquisition. We will continue to identify demand for vacant houses available for sale and secure additional project funds in the future, making this the starting point for vacant house innovation for future generations."