Ministry of National Defense Responds:
"Will Adjust Flight Safety Zones"
Redevelopment Feasibility in Taepyeong, Sinheung, and Sujin-dong Improved
by Applying 'Original Ground Level' Standard
Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor: Shin Sangjin) has taken proactive steps, urging the Ministry of National Defense to swiftly adjust flight safety zones around Seoul Airport in order to ease height restrictions.
According to Seongnam City on July 4, the city received an official response from the Ministry of National Defense on June 25, stating that it would partially accept the 'adjustment of flight safety zones' around Seoul Airport. However, the city maintains that further delays are unacceptable, as procedures such as reviews under the Act on the Protection of Military Bases and Installations still remain before the actual adjustment can be implemented.
The flight safety zones around Seoul Airport have not been readjusted for about 10 years, even though the runway angle was changed in 2013 due to the construction of Lotte Tower. This has hindered regional development. In response, Seongnam City has engaged in ongoing consultations with relevant agencies since last year. In March of this year, the city officially submitted this issue as an agenda item to the Gyeonggi Province-Ministry of National Defense Cooperation Council, achieving tangible results.
In its reply, the Ministry of National Defense stated that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the relevant military units are currently conducting operational reviews for the adjustment of flight safety zones. The Ministry added that, after completing the review procedures required by the Act on the Protection of Military Bases and Installations, it will proceed with the full-scale adjustment process.
If the adjustment is implemented, parts of Yatap-dong and Imae-dong will be reclassified from Flight Safety Zone 2 to Zone 6, raising the permissible building height. Nine residential complexes, including Areummaeul, Tapmaeul, and Imae Village, will directly benefit, making previously restricted high-density development and improvements to the residential environment possible.
Meanwhile, in June, the 15th Special Mission Wing of the Air Force officially responded that, when calculating building heights, the reference ground level would be the 'original natural ground' rather than the 'lowered surface after excavation.' As a result, construction exceeding the height restriction standard is now possible even on sloped or excavated sites.
For example, if the natural ground is excavated by 5 meters, the 45-meter height restriction is applied based on the original ground, not the excavated surface, effectively allowing buildings up to 50 meters tall.
When redevelopment or reconstruction projects are pursued within Flight Safety Zones 3, 5, and 6 in Seongnam City, the height reduced by excavation will be excluded from the height restriction calculation. This is expected to improve the viability of redevelopment and reconstruction projects in areas with many slopes, such as Taepyeong 2, 3, and 4-dong, Sinheung 1-dong, and Sujin 1-dong.
Mayor Shin Sangjin of Seongnam City emphasized, "This achievement is a meaningful result created together with our citizens, but there is still more to be done. We will continue to negotiate so that the Ministry of National Defense does not delay the adjustment any further, and we will lead the protection of citizens' property rights and innovative urban regeneration projects."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
