"Preservation Over Compensation"… Seoripul District 2 Greenbelt Lifting Public Hearing Falls Through

Seoripul District 2 Public Hearing Fails
Residents and Believers Stage Picket Protests
"Legal Action Will Be Taken if District Designation Proceeds"

The Seoripul District 2, where the government lifted the greenbelt (development-restricted area) for the first time in 12 years to expand housing supply in the Seoul metropolitan area, is facing strong opposition from local residents, resulting in significant difficulties. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is pushing forward with the project, aiming to designate the district by January next year. However, residents have stated that they will not compromise on anything other than preserving their village and have moved to block the public hearing from taking place.

The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) held a public hearing on the draft strategic environmental impact assessment for the Seoripul District 2 public housing site at the Yangjae AT Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 24th. This comes just a month and a half after a resident briefing session scheduled for October 1 was canceled. However, the public hearing held on this day failed to proceed as planned due to opposition from residents, and no opinions were presented.

Believers of Umyundong Cathedral and local residents are reading a statement opposing the development at the Seoripul District 2 public hearing held at the Yangjae AT Center in Seocho-gu. Photo by Lee Ji-eun

Residents of Seoripul District 2 and believers from Umyundong Cathedral gathered at the site and continued their protest with picket signs opposing forced land expropriation and by reading prayers. Baek Uncheol, the parish priest of Umyundong Cathedral, stated in a declaration, "A total of 9,159 believers from 11 cathedrals in Seocho-gu and local residents have clearly expressed their opposition to forced expropriation." He further pointed out, "Despite this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are pushing ahead with the procedures without any official opportunity to hear residents' opinions after announcing the development plan." Baek also emphasized, "There can be no compromise other than preserving the cathedral and the village," and demanded, "We are asking for preservation, not compensation."

Seong Haeyoung, Deputy Chairman of the Songdong Village Emergency Response Committee, who attended the public hearing, also stated, "Residents and believers are at risk of losing their homes and places of worship due to this development. The very survival of the local community is at stake," and stressed, "The government is pushing ahead with development in a unilateral and coercive manner, assuming forced land expropriation without listening to the opinions of residents."

The Seoripul District was selected by the government in November last year as a candidate site for new housing supply in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is divided into District 1, which spans Wonji-dong and Naegok-dong in Seocho-gu, and District 2, which covers Umyundong. The government plans to develop 2.21 million square meters (approximately 670,000 pyeong) in the Seoripul District area and supply 20,000 apartment units, specialized for newlyweds and young people. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is pushing forward with the project, aiming to designate the district by January next year.

However, resolving the conflict with residents and believers is proving to be difficult. Currently, opposition is centered on Songdong Village and Sikyuchon Village, which are family villages where the Song and Lee families have lived for six generations, as well as Umyundong Cathedral within District 2. Village residents insist that preserving ancestral burial grounds and their living spaces, which have been maintained since the Joseon Dynasty, should take priority. Umyundong Cathedral is also opposing the development to prevent the collapse of its religious community. Believers and residents are demanding that at least the settlement areas-such as the cathedral, Songdong Village, and Sikyuchon Village-which account for only 1.8% of the district, be preserved.

Residents have stated that if no opportunity for dialogue is provided, they plan to boycott the second public hearing as well. If the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport designates and announces the district in January next year without separate consultations, residents plan to take legal action, including filing lawsuits to cancel administrative measures. If the public hearing fails, it can be held up to two more times, but even if it is not held, the district designation can proceed without delay.

However, there are concerns that if the conflict is not resolved, it could affect subsequent projects. The government and the ruling party are also considering lifting the greenbelt designation for the Taereung Golf Course and Korea Military Academy sites in Nowon-gu to expand housing supply in Seoul. These sites also faced resident opposition when the Moon Jae-in administration attempted to lift the greenbelt designation. The Seoripul District, a key project site for housing supply in the metropolitan area, is expected to set a precedent for other districts in the future.