The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has comprehensively revised altitude restriction standards for the first time in 70 years, raising concerns that this may disrupt the SuNam district maintenance project in Seoul. Measures are being formulated to avoid the impact of this altitude restriction revision centered around the Mokdong New Town site, where a large-scale maintenance project is currently underway.
According to the maintenance industry and others on the 18th, Yang Cheon District Mayor Lee Ki-jae held an emergency meeting on the 15th with heads of about 10 associations and a promotion committee related to Mokdong New Town to discuss proactive response measures concerning the ICAO revision.
ICAO strengthened altitude restrictions by classifying areas that have a real impact on aviation safety as "obstacle-free surfaces" (OFS), instead of regulating based on radius related to existing flight paths. Yangcheon District analyzed that the revision classifies regions within about 11 to 13 kilometers from Gimpo Airport as "horizontal surfaces" and imposes altitude restrictions of 45, 60, and 90 meters.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to revise domestic laws in accordance with the international standard revision, which is set to be implemented from November 2030. Yangcheon District requested the Ministry to officially submit a clear opposition stance during the opinion collection process regarding the ICAO revision.
Yang Cheon District Mayor Lee Ki-jae stated, "This revision is a direct betrayal of residents who expected a relaxation of altitude restrictions," and emphasized, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport must clearly state its opposition to the ICAO revision and implement thorough measures to ensure that new altitude restrictions do not become stricter than the existing ones, even if the revision is adopted."
Yangcheon District is hopeful that the Ministry will allow exceptions by applying existing standards to complexes that have received project implementation approval. In the amendment of the 'Urban and Residential Environment Maintenance Act' in 2014, the Ministry included a provision in the annex stating, "Complexes that have received project implementation approval shall apply the existing standards."
With this possibility in mind, it is projected that regions affected by Gimpo Airport, such as the Mokdong redevelopment project sites in Yangcheon District, will accelerate their project implementation approval. Mokdong New Town's blocks 6, 8, 12, 13, and 14 have been designated as maintenance areas, and block 6 has completed the establishment of its association. An association must be established for a project implementation approval application to be possible.
However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated regarding the altitude restriction revision, "We plan to find ways for the revision to be reasonably applied while prioritizing the safety of aircraft," and added that they have not yet announced detailed contents. A ministry official commented, "It is not a situation where we can immediately announce our stance regarding redevelopment complexes, and we are currently reviewing the application of the altitude restriction revision through regulatory interpretations and others."
If the range of 11 to 13 kilometers is applied, the impact may extend not only to Yangcheon District but also to Mapo, Seodaemun, and Yeongdeungpo Districts. These regions also have areas with densely packed old housing that require maintenance projects. Applying the revised altitude restriction standards could likely result in losses in terms of floor area ratio.
On the other hand, Gangseo District, which is closer to Gimpo Airport and currently has 97.3% designated as an altitude restriction zone, would find redevelopment and reconstruction difficult. If ICAO's revised standards are applied, potentially more relaxed altitude restrictions could be enacted.
Experts also explained that there will likely be impacts on areas like Mokdong during the application process of the revision. Lee Eun-hyung, a researcher at the Korea Construction Policy Research Institute, stated, "Since this is an international regulation, simply opposing and arguing over the reconstruction issue will not resolve the matter. It remains unclear because the Ministry has not yet announced that complexes with project implementation approval will apply existing standards," and added, "If altitude restrictions lower the number of floors, it will definitively impact the project viability, so alternatives such as adjusting the building coverage ratio may need to be considered. It is necessary to wait for the exact restriction standards to be announced in the future."