At the Galhyeon-dong "Galhyeon 1 District," regarded as one of the three major redevelopment business sites in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, cultural assets have been discovered, and an excavation survey is set to be conducted through February next year. The Galhyeon 1 District redevelopment association and the contractor, Lotte E&C, plan to begin construction in other sections this November.
According to the maintenance industry on the 24th, the Sudo Institute of Cultural Properties delivered a "buried cultural heritage excavation commencement report" to the Galhyeon 1 District Housing Redevelopment Maintenance Project Association (Galhyeon 1 District redevelopment association) on 4th stating it would begin excavating buried heritage from 15th of this month to Feb. 27 next year.
This follows the Galhyeon 1 District redevelopment association discovering relics within the business site and reporting it to Eunpyeong District Office, which has jurisdiction, under the Act on the Protection and Investigation of Buried Cultural Heritage.
Galhyeon 1 District is a project to redevelop about 238,967 square meters around 300 Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong District, Seoul, to build new apartments of 32 buildings, 4,403 households (including 661 rental units), from 6 floors underground to 25 floors above ground. This project is considered a central pillar of redevelopment in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, along with Daejo 1 District (2,451 households) and Bulgwang 5 District (2,469 households).
Earlier, as the Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) rejected the approval for project financing loans and the school site plan changed, the groundbreaking planned for the second half of last year was pushed back by about a year to the second half of this year.
Cases of maintenance projects being delayed or halted due to the discovery of cultural assets are not uncommon. At the reconstruction site of Namseoul Apartment in Singil 10 District, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, a stratum presumed to date to the Paleolithic era was recently found just before groundbreaking, and construction is currently suspended.
At the reconstruction site of Jamsil Jinju Apartment in Songpa District, Seoul, in Nov. 2021, the discovery of many Baekje-era house sites and storage pits at the time of groundbreaking led to difficulties in moving the project forward.
Members of the Galhyeon 1 District association voiced concern that with groundbreaking further delayed by the cultural asset excavation, future construction costs could rise.
An association member identified as A said, "During the recent final demolition work, a wooden coffin was found, so we reported the discovery of heritage to the Eunpyeong District Office," adding, "The Galhyeon 1 District redevelopment business site sits along the foothills of Aengbongsan and was used as a communal cemetery during the Joseon era, so there is a high likelihood that various cultural heritage will emerge."
The member said, "Looking at nearby redevelopment business site cases, contractors are demanding construction cost increases at the time of groundbreaking, so there is widespread concern among association members that the later the groundbreaking, the higher the construction costs could climb," adding, "Lotte E&C's position is to proceed with construction first without negotiating construction costs before groundbreaking, so there is anxiety about how much they will ask to raise later."
The Galhyeon 1 District redevelopment association selected Lotte E&C as the contractor in May 2020 and signed a contract at an expected construction cost of about 4.6 million won per 3.3 square meters.
At Daejo 1 District, which had clashed with the contractor Hyundai E&C over construction cost increases, the construction cost per 3.3 square meters was set at about 5.18 million won when the contractor was selected, but after negotiations in Oct. last year it was raised to about 7.45 million won (about 44% increase).
A Lotte E&C official said, "We will break ground as planned in November this year and start construction first in areas that are not subject to cultural asset excavation."