"Legal Procedures Proceed, Solutions Await Negotiation"... Ongoing Tension Amid Watchful Eyes Over Seoripul 2 District Development [Real Estate AtoZ]

Announcement of Hearing Omission After Two Failed Attempts in Seoripul 2
Ministry Signals Recent Consideration of Village Preservation
Residents: "We Will Watch for the Preservation of the Village and Church"
Prepared to File Constitutional Complaint if Preservation Fails

The conflict surrounding the development of the Seoripul 2 Public Housing District in Seocho-gu, Seoul, has entered a new phase. After two failed attempts to hold a strategic environmental impact assessment hearing, the government has omitted the hearing procedure in accordance with the law. In response, residents have decided to monitor the government’s next steps rather than confront it directly. However, the potential for conflict remains, as residents have stated that if their demands to preserve the village are not met, they are prepared to pursue administrative litigation and even file a constitutional complaint.

Protest watchtower installed at the entrance of Songdong Village. Songdong Village Emergency Committee.

On December 19, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport posted a notice announcing the omission of the public hearing for the draft of the strategic environmental impact assessment for the Seoul Seoripul 2 Public Housing District. According to the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, if a public hearing cannot be held normally more than twice due to interference from residents or other reasons, the project operator may substitute the hearing procedure with a newspaper announcement or similar measure. The operator of this project is Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). The Ministry and LH determined that the legal requirements for omitting the hearing had been met, and decided to proceed with subsequent steps, including consultations with related agencies and a review by the Central Urban Planning Committee, aiming to designate the district in January next year.

The Seoripul 2 District is responsible for supplying about 2,000 out of the approximately 20,000 households in the entire Seoripul area. The target site includes Songdong Village and Umyeon-dong Catholic Church. Although this area does not account for a large proportion of the total site, it is home to a dense population of long-term residents and religious communities who have called for their preservation. Songdong Village is a collective settlement of indigenous residents who have lived there for generations, while Umyeon-dong Catholic Church, established in 2001, serves as a hub for the local community. Due to their opposition, the first hearing scheduled for November was canceled, and the second hearing, which was to be held at Seocho Sports Complex on December 12, was also ultimately not held.

Although the government's omission of the hearing could have triggered a major backlash from residents, the atmosphere is not currently highly charged. Residents have decided to observe whether their demands for the preservation of the village and religious facilities will be reflected in the actual planning process after the district is designated, rather than focusing solely on the omission of the hearing itself.

Sung Haeyoung, Vice Chairman of the Songdong Village Emergency Committee, said, "Since the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has recently mentioned for the first time the possibility of preserving the village and the church, we will watch their actual actions," adding, "If our demands are addressed only superficially after the district is designated, we will consider all possible legal measures, including administrative litigation and a constitutional complaint." He emphasized, "Our position is simply to be allowed to continue living here as we are," and added, "If our demands are not reflected, we also plan to protest by climbing the 6-meter-high watchtower recently installed at the entrance of Songdong Village."

This shift in atmosphere appears to have been influenced by recent remarks from a working-level official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Cho Hyunjun, Director of the Public Housing Site Planning Division at the Ministry, stated during a recent work report and media inquiry, "Although the Seoripul Public Housing District is a necessary project to expand housing supply in the Seoul metropolitan area, we will change our approach to reduce conflict, considering that the village and church are included in District 2 and that hearings have repeatedly failed."

Seo Jinhyung, Professor of Real Estate Law at Kwangwoon University, said, "If a solution acceptable to residents is not presented, the conflict could intensify during the compensation and construction phases after the district is designated," adding, "How social consensus is designed, along with the speed of supply, will determine the stability of the project."