A station-area development project near Hongje Station in Hongje-dong, pushed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seodaemun District, is gathering pace. Buildings erected over the covered Hongjecheon stream about 50 years ago will be redeveloped into apartments and officetels, while the stream will be restored and turned into a waterfront park. Seodaemun District is acting as the direct implementer, aiming to select a builder within the year and obtain project implementation approval in March next year.
According to the maintenance industry on the 11th, 3rd Seodaemun District designated and announced Seodaemun District Mayor Lee Seong-heon as the project implementer for the "Hongje Station station-area revitalization project, urban maintenance-type redevelopment zone," and is carrying out preparatory work for project implementation. This is a follow-up measure after being selected in Nov. 2023 as a target site for the Seoul station-area revitalization project. It is the first case nationwide of a local government becoming the public implementer of a redevelopment project, with Seodaemun District directly collecting opinions from owners, including the residents' representative meeting, to develop the area.
The target site covers 42,515 square meters around 298-9 Hongje-dong, Seodaemun District, near Hongje Station on Seoul Subway Line 3. It includes the Yujin Arcade, a residential-commercial complex built after filling in the stream in 1970, as well as Wonil Apartment and Inwang Market.
Yujin Arcade, an iconic building erected over the then-covered stream, was once considered the central commercial district and a landmark of northwestern Seoul. The residential wing of this building, "Yujin Mansion," symbolized a luxury apartment more than 50 years ago. The first floor is commercial, and the second to fifth floors are residential. The residential units range from 33 to 68 pyeong, making them extra-large luxury apartments by the standards of the time. The arcade is also known for having created hiding spaces for tanks in its street-side pilotis. After the Jan. 21 incident in 1968, when North Korea's Kim Shin-jo group raided the Blue House, the building was constructed with a piloti structure intended to collapse the building in an emergency to prepare for urban warfare and block Segeomjeong, the route to the Blue House.
A Seodaemun District official said, "Although it is near a station, the area is blighted and the commercial district has not been revitalized, so the district will directly push redevelopment to improve the residential environment and activate commerce," adding, "We will prepare for builder selection, architectural review, and environmental impact assessment in consultation with the residents' representative meeting."
According to the finalized maintenance plan, Seodaemun District plans to build 1,121 apartment units and 92 officetel units in the area. The apartments will consist of 312 association-member presale units (including reserved lots), 668 general presale units, and 141 rental units.
The filled-in Hongjecheon will be restored, and a 3,501-square-meter (about 1,059 pyeong) "Hongjecheon waterfront cultural park" (around 295-3 Hongje-dong) will be created along the stream. The covering structures over the stream will be removed, and it will be restored to a natural-style stream. A welfare facility integrating a public postnatal care center, kids' cafe, and library, called the "Life Care Center," is also planned.
Seodaemun District estimates the total project cost at 1.1515 trillion won, with construction costs of 807.9 billion won. Currently, 23 of the 411 land and other owners have formed Commissioners of the residents' representative meeting to discuss the project direction with Seodaemun District.
The builder will be selected through an open bid, after which the residents' representative meeting will recommend the winning construction company to Seodaemun District. The builder is expected to be selected as early as within the year. Song Jeong-hee, general affairs chief of the residents' representative committee, said, "If the dilapidated buildings are redeveloped, it is expected to become a landmark complex of Hongje-dong."