Seoul Implements 11 Comprehensive Measures for Three Electronic Systems
Electronic Voting Verification Service Introduced to Prevent Tampering
Electronic Consent Forms Institutionalized, Public Support for Union Meeting Costs
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will introduce three types of electronic systems?electronic voting, online general meetings, and electronic consent forms?into urban renewal projects. The city will revise related systems and provide financial support for general meeting costs to reduce project duration and expenses, while also increasing member participation.
On June 17, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will implement electronic voting, online general meetings, and electronic consent forms to enhance fairness, speed, and participation rates in the urban renewal project process. The city has prepared and begun implementing 11 comprehensive measures to support this initiative.
The main points of the comprehensive measures include: fundamentally blocking concerns about electronic voting manipulation or forgery; providing a guidebook on the use of electronic voting and online general meetings; offering consulting services to strengthen personal information protection by service providers; reinforcing supervision and management, including establishing regulations for penalizing dishonest service providers; introducing electronic consent forms for promotion committees and union establishment; and providing budget support for unions participating in electronic voting and online general meetings.
With the enforcement of the Urban Renewal Act on June 4, electronic voting is now legally permitted, and by December, a legal foundation will be established to use online general meetings and electronic consent forms.
Since last year, the city has utilized the ICT regulatory sandbox system to conduct pilot projects for electronic voting and online general meetings with 10 unions. The costs of general meetings were reduced by approximately 62%, and the preparation period was shortened from 1?3 months to within two weeks. The advance voting period was also reduced from four weeks to nine days. Notably, the average voter turnout increased by more than 6%, and member satisfaction reached 98%, proving the overall effectiveness and leading to full-scale implementation.
In addition, to prevent manipulation or forgery of electronic votes, the city will introduce a service that stores and verifies voting results on the Seoul Metropolitan Government's blockchain server. The city plans to improve its blockchain management system and provide this service starting in September. In addition to the existing certified electronic document center, voting results will be stored separately on the servers of the union members, the union, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government blockchain, fundamentally blocking the possibility of tampering or forgery.
Furthermore, for the first time in Korea, the city will produce an "Easy Guide to Using Electronic Voting and Online General Meetings for Urban Renewal Projects" to reduce confusion on the ground and support participation by digitally vulnerable groups.
Going forward, consent procedures for forming promotion committees and establishing unions can also be completed via mobile devices. Previously, only written consent forms were permitted, leading to concerns about forgery and lengthy collection periods. With electronic consent forms, members can easily give consent after mobile identity verification, significantly shortening the collection period.
Until the Urban Renewal Act is enforced in December, the use of electronic consent forms will only be possible through companies granted ICT regulatory sandbox demonstration exemptions. Both electronic and written consent forms may be used in parallel. Land and property owners can freely choose between electronic and written forms.
Support for urban renewal project unions will also be expanded. As part of the "2025 Urban Renewal Project Electronic Voting and Online General Meeting Activation Project," the city will select additional unions through an open call in June and July and provide up to 10 million won in funding per union. The support targets redevelopment and reconstruction unions within Seoul, covering up to 50% of general meeting costs, with support for more than 30 unions each year.
The city will also revise related operational regulations, including laws, to promote the activation of electronic voting and related systems. To strengthen supervision of service providers, the city has proposed an amendment to the Urban Renewal Act to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to establish regulations for penalizing dishonest companies. The operational standards for promotion committees and unions will also be revised to facilitate the use of electronic voting and related systems.
Kim Sungbo, Seoul's Second Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, said, "The digitalization of decision-making in urban renewal projects will not only reduce costs but also significantly enhance fairness, speed, and participation. We will continue to expand a digital foundation that anyone can easily access and trust, dramatically shortening project timelines and accelerating the stable supply of housing."
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