Concerns Over Delays to Nearby Development Projects and Deterioration of Educational Environment
Consultations With Seoul Metropolitan Government and Related Agencies, Alongside Collection of Residents' Opinions
Yongsan-gu in Seoul (District Mayor Park Heeyoung) has formed a dedicated task force (TF) to respond to the central government's plan to expand housing supply in the Yongsan International Business District and has begun full-scale action.
According to Yongsan-gu on February 6, the district expressed strong regret and declared its opposition, stating that the government's recent "January 29 Housing Supply Plan" was pushed forward without prior consultation with local residents or the autonomous district.
The district expects that, if the supply of 10,000 housing units is pursued, the project will be delayed by at least two years due to the need to redesign urban infrastructure following changes to the land use plan and to conduct additional consultations with related agencies. It also expects that the housing supply timeline itself will be pushed back by more than one year because of disruptions to the land sale schedule.
In addition, concerns have been raised about possible delays to nearby redevelopment and reconstruction projects, such as the Ichon District 1 reconstruction and maintenance project, as well as about a deterioration in the quality of the educational environment due to an increase in the number of elementary school students following the expansion of housing supply.
The newly formed "Comprehensive Response Task Force for the Yongsan International Business District" will be led by the vice district mayor and operated through four teams: a general coordination team, a working-level response team, and a support team, among others. Through regular meetings, the task force plans to pursue consultations with related agencies such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government, while simultaneously conducting policy impact analysis, media response, and collection of residents' opinions.
Yongsan-gu plans to gather opinions through consultations with urban planning experts and surveys of residents, including those living in areas adjacent to the International Business District, and to use these results as the basis for formulating its response measures.
The district also plans to deliver an official position that reflects expert opinions and the voices of local residents to related agencies such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and to support the project so that the International Business District can be pursued in line with its original functions through ongoing consultations. It will also explore joint response measures with other local governments in relation to the government announcement.
Park Heeyoung, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "The Yongsan International Business District is a core national project that will determine the future competitiveness of the Republic of Korea," emphasizing that "it must be pursued in a direction where education, transportation, and living infrastructure are harmonized with its international business functions, rather than through a unilateral increase in housing supply volume." She added, "Yongsan-gu will work closely with related agencies, fully reflecting the opinions of residents and experts, and will do its utmost to develop the International Business District into a world-class business hub."
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