Demolition of 20-Year-Old Buksam JK Apartment Complex
Improving Living Conditions and Alleviating Parking Shortages
Demolition Scheduled for March 17
Chilgok County in North Gyeongsang Province announced on February 22 that, as the demolition of the Buksam JK Apartment complex, which had been left as an eyesore in the center of Buksam-eup for more than 20 years, is now in full swing, a long-awaited project for local residents has finally entered the resolution phase.
This project is being carried out through compulsory demolition in accordance with the Special Act on the Maintenance of Long-Term Abandoned Buildings with Suspended Construction. The county plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony on site on March 17 and then begin full-scale demolition work, with completion targeted for July.
Buksam JK Apartment building adjacent to a nearby apartment complex / Provided by Chilgok County Office
The area directly affected by this demolition is the residential zone adjacent to the JK Apartment complex. This includes Royal Apartment (149 households), Sungo Daedong Apartment (211 households), Buksam Seohui Apartment (959 households), and 450 nearby villa households.
In particular, Sungo Daedong Apartment is directly adjacent to the JK Apartment complex and is cited as the complex that has experienced the greatest inconvenience at the closest range. Students at nearby Buksam Middle School are also expected to see improvements in their commuting environment as safety concerns stemming from the abandoned building are resolved.
Village head Cho Mi-young of Sungo Daedong Apartment said, "Because there was an abandoned building right next to the apartment, residents were even cautious about going out toward the park at night," adding, "As a long-unresolved issue has entered the stage of being sorted out, there is a sense of relief spreading among residents."
The positive impact of the maintenance project will not be limited to the adjacent complexes. All of the roughly 22,000 residents living in Buksam-eup will feel the changes brought by the reorganization of the town’s core area. As a space that had long remained the face of the town is cleared, observers expect the city’s image to improve and this to lead to an overall upgrade in living conditions.
In particular, a parking lot with a capacity of 180 spaces is scheduled to be built on the former JK Apartment site once demolition is complete. Buksam-eup has long suffered from chronic parking shortages, especially in densely populated residential areas, due to a lack of public parking lots. Securing parking space in this area is expected to significantly ease parking inconveniences for both commercial and residential zones.
Approximately 3.4 billion won in budget, including dismantling and demolition costs, will be invested in the demolition of the Buksam JK Apartment complex. Chilgok County plans to allocate the budget in phases and carry out the demolition and site maintenance without disruption, emphasizing that this is a public maintenance project aimed at eliminating safety risks and resident inconvenience caused by long-term neglect.
Chilgok County Governor Kim Jaeuk said, "The JK Apartment complex has long been a source of resident complaints due to being left neglected for an extended period," adding, "We are pushing ahead with the maintenance work in accordance with the relevant laws and procedures."
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