The possibility of utilizing land, including the Yongsan Children's Garden within Yongsan Park, for housing supply has resurfaced.
Kim I-tak, the First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on August 14 that he would discuss the potential use of certain areas, including the Children's Garden, for housing supply with the Seoul city government.
Kim noted, "Yongsan Park covers about 1 million pyeong, and the Children's Garden is approximately 90,000 pyeong. A million pyeong is an enormous area, comparable to Yeouido." He added that he intends to negotiate with the city regarding the potential use of the Children's Garden.
However, the Children's Garden was not included in the list of new housing supply candidates announced by the government the previous day. Although it was mentioned as a potential site before the announcement, the Seoul city government opposes the idea of supplying housing in the Children's Garden.
Kim also pointed out that there are other returned lands that could be used for housing supply. He mentioned, "In addition to the Children's Garden, there are lands returned from the U.S., including Camp Kim and other embassy residences." He emphasized that some areas around Yongsan Park should be utilized for housing supply aimed at youth and future generations.
Conflicts regarding prior consultations with the Seoul city government are expected to continue. The city expressed regret over the lack of prior discussions related to the government's supply measures announced the previous day.
Additionally, the development of the Taereung Golf Course in Nowon District, which was proposed as a supply site in the January 29 measures, is expected to gain momentum. Kim stated, "A couple of days ago, the Cultural Heritage Administration approved the World Heritage Impact Assessment. Domestic procedures are complete, and we expect to finish the UNESCO process this year." He added that land surveys will begin in the second half of the year.
Kim also indicated that the government plans to announce additional public housing sites, which will include 73,000 housing units plus more, as early as late September or in October.
He explained, "The announced figure of 73,000 units involves administrative procedures such as drafting reports. Each parcel is related to individual property rights, and if even one is omitted, it could lead to lawsuits." He noted that the administrative process, including preparing reports for public review, takes time.
On the previous day, the government designated three new public housing districts in Gangseo District, Seoul, and in Namyangju and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province, planning to supply a total of 27,000 housing units, with additional sites to be announced later.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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