Seoripul District 2 in Seocho District, the largest public dwelling project site in Seoul's Gangnam area, is expected to soon enter the stage of being designated as a public dwelling district. Residents are strongly opposing the development of Seoripul District 2, where the burial grounds of Song Hyeon-su, the father-in-law of King Danjong, are located, but the government is pushing ahead with a plan to supply a large number of dwellings on prime land in Gangnam to stabilize the real estate market. The government is even considering compulsory expropriation procedures if talks with residents in Seoripul District 2 fall through, suggesting the conflict will continue.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 13th, the designation process for Seoripul District 2 is expected to proceed soon. A government official said, "We are preparing the public notice for the designation of Seoripul District 2."
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced in Nov. 2024 that it would lift Seoripul District from the development restriction zone (green belt·GB) and supply 20,000 public dwellings tailored to young people and newlyweds. At the time, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) presented a blueprint to complete the district designation for Seoripul District by the first half of this year to allow 20,000 households to move into Seoripul District in 2031 and to begin construction in 2029.
Although there was opposition from residents in District 1 within Seoripul, the district designation was completed in Feb., and follow-up work such as establishing the district plan is underway. Seoripul District 1 covers 2,018,074㎡ and will supply 18,000 households.
In Seoripul District 2, opposition from residents has been so intense that a public hearing could not be held, and the process of designating it as a public dwelling district has not yet begun. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to supply 2,000 households in Seoripul District 2 (193,259㎡). However, residents are strongly protesting, saying the government is trying to indiscriminately develop land with historical value. This is because Seoripul District 2 contains the burial grounds of the family of Song Hyeon-su, the father-in-law of Joseon's sixth king, Danjong, which recently became the subject of the "The King's Warden," a "10-million movie."
Residents of Seoripul District 2 filed civil petitions with the Korea Heritage Service and Seocho District to protect the burial grounds of teacher Song Hyeon-su's family and asked that the area be excluded from the redevelopment zone. The Seoul Metropolitan Council also adopted a petition asking that this area be excluded from the Seoripul District development project and conveyed its opinion.
Despite such strong opposition from residents, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) says it is difficult to exclude only Seoripul District 2 from the development targets. It says sufficient supply of dwellings in the Gangnam area is necessary to stabilize the dwelling market. Another reason for pushing ahead is that if the central government released a public dwelling district development and then withdrew it due to resident opposition, it could set a bad precedent.
Even in the public notice for the designation of Seoripul District 2 that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) mistakenly posted in the official gazette on the 9th, the plan to develop Seoripul District 2 as originally planned was included. While preparing the public notice for the designation of Seoripul District 2, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) mistakenly posted the notice on its website and then took it down, but according to this notice, the development area of Seoripul District 2 is 193,259㎡, the same as the original plan. It is reported that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is instead revising the notice to move up the development timetable for Seoripul District 2.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to proceed with compulsory collection procedures under the Land Compensation Act if it is difficult to reach an agreement with residents. As a result, a hardline confrontation between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and residents over the development of Seoripul District 2 appears inevitable. A person at an institution related to this development said, "Although residents of Seoripul District 2, where the supply scale is smaller than Seoripul District 1, are asking to be excluded from the development targets, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is preparing the public notice for the designation of Seoripul District 2," adding, "It appears the project will proceed at an even faster pace."