Yeongcheon City Council Benchmarks Best Practices in Vacant House Utilization at Bongsan Village in Busan

The Yeongcheon City Council Research Group on Vacant House Utilization (led by Assemblywoman Woo Aeja, with members Lee Youngwoo, Kim Yongmoon, Lee Younggi, and Lee Gabgyun) visited Bongsan Village in Yeongdo-gu, Busan on August 25 to benchmark successful cases of revitalizing local communities through the use of vacant houses.

This field visit was part of research activities aimed at seeking policy alternatives to address the increasing number of vacant houses in Yeongcheon. Fifteen people attended, including five council members, staff from the council secretariat, and officials from the executive branch.

Bongsan Village experienced a surge in vacant houses due to the downturn in the shipbuilding industry and the cancellation of redevelopment projects. However, since 2018, the "Very Very Good Bongsan Village Without Vacant Houses" project has transformed these spaces into youth startup hubs, guesthouses, shared kitchens, and cultural experience centers. This has become a leading example of restoring the village community and turning it into a tourism resource.

The benchmarking participants listened to a presentation on the project's achievements at the Very Very Good Bongsan Center and directly toured youth startup spaces, blueberry fields, guesthouses, and other facilities created from vacant houses, analyzing the effectiveness of their operation.

Woo Aeja, the lead assemblywoman, stated, "The Bongsan Village case is an exemplary model that has linked the vacant house issue to local revitalization," and added, "We will develop policies tailored to Yeongcheon’s circumstances to resolve the vacant house problem and boost local vitality."

During this benchmarking visit, an interim report session for the research project was also held, where domestic and international cases of vacant house utilization and Yeongcheon’s plans for maintenance and use of vacant houses were presented. Measures to be reflected in future policy development were discussed.