At 9 a.m. on the 20th, I got off at Sookmyung Women's Univ. station on the Seoul subway, passed the front gate of Yongsan High School and walked about 10 minutes along Duteopbawi-ro. At the end of a little-traveled uphill road appeared the former Defense Acquisition Program Administration site (about 95,000㎡), surrounded by high walls. The government has cited it as one of the Yongsan Park sites under review for supplying dwellings, but on the ground it was hard to find any trace of a park.
Beyond the wall, several buildings with peeling paint were lined up. Some had plaques reading "Defense Media Agency" and "Ministry of National Defense Arms Control and Verification Group." At the end of the road stood the headquarters of the Armed Forces Welfare Group. A military official met on site said, "It is currently used as a military facility, and the only place open to the public is the Marine Corps Memorial Hall," adding, "You must apply in advance to visit."
The roughly 45,000㎡ soldiers' apartment site adjoining the former DAPA looked different. Inside the metal fence stood aging apartment blocks that appeared long unused. Access was restricted, and the exterior walls of buildings with wide terraces showed clear signs of age. It contrasted with the currently used Armed Forces housing, the "DAPA Apartments," nearby.
The two sites were cited by Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as examples of "land that has lost green space function," mentioning the possibility of supplying dwellings. But military facilities are operating at the former DAPA site, and multiple ministries share ownership of the soldiers' apartment land. The situation also differs from Yongsan Children's Garden and Officers' Housing Complex 5, which are used as public rest areas. The government said it would selectively use only land that has lost green space function, but it has yet to decide how many units to build on which land.
◇ Obstacles begin with the transfer of military facilities within the former DAPA site
The former DAPA and soldiers' apartment sites were originally outside the main U.S. base compound but were additionally incorporated into the Yongsan Park development district in 2021. At the time, the government planned to create a green corridor linking Namsan and Yongsan Park on the two sites and preserve buildings with historical and cultural value for use as cultural and arts spaces. But instead of a park, military office facilities and unused apartments remained on site.
To use the former DAPA as land for dwellings, the military agencies currently on site must first relocate. A Ministry of National Defense official said, "Multiple agencies under the Ministry of National Defense are using the site," adding, "Coordination among relevant ministries is needed regarding the supply of dwellings." The site also retains military facilities of preservation value, including the former Marine Corps headquarters building, the first Marine Corps chapel, and air-raid shelters.
The soldiers' apartment site is owned in divided shares by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the Ministry of National Defense. To supply dwellings, ownership must be sorted out and a plan prepared to handle existing structures. Neither the former DAPA nor the soldiers' apartments are in a state where apartments can be built immediately on vacant land.
◇ Children's garden and officers' housing are already public rest areas
The atmosphere at Yongsan Children's Garden near Sinyongsan station was different. Around 10 a.m. that day, children on group field trips from day care centers and kindergartens stood out throughout the garden. The children ran across the lawn or used the experience zone, exhibition hall, and education center. Buildings once used as housing for U.S. generals were being utilized after preserving their exteriors and remodeling their interiors.
A person surnamed Kim in her 60s, who lives in Hangangno 3-ga, said, "I often come so my daughter and my granddaughter, who just turned one, can take a walk together," adding, "The park is so large that it doesn't get crowded even on weekends and we can use it comfortably." A kindergarten teacher said, "We visit often because it's a place where children can run around safely."
The roughly 300,000㎡ Yongsan Children's Garden has long been mentioned as a candidate site for supplying dwellings within Yongsan Park. It is smaller than the roughly 480,000㎡ Seoul Forest but larger than the roughly 230,000㎡ Yeouido Park.
Officers' Housing Complex 5 near Seobinggo station is also open to the public. A total of 18 buildings, including 16 dwelling blocks, stand on a site of about 49,000㎡. Some buildings are used as family spaces such as a children's library, an exhibition hall, and rest areas.
Minister Kim cited officers' housing and other sites with existing buildings as examples of "places that have lost green space function." The Seoul Metropolitan Government, by contrast, takes the position that the mere presence of buildings does not mean a park has lost its function. It says the purpose of the Yongsan Park Special Act is to restore land formerly hosting military facilities into green space and develop it as a national park.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, after meeting Minister Kim that day, said, "Yongsan Park is entirely land that soldiers used, so it was not green space but places paved with concrete or used for some purpose," adding, "We should not talk as if greenery or forest has already been created there." He continued, "Like Seoul Forest, the intent of the Special Act is to create greenery going forward and make a national garden."
Minister Kim and Mayor Oh did not narrow their differences even in their meeting that day. Oh said, "I asked multiple times which parts would be converted to land for dwellings, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ultimately did not specify." Although the government cited officers' housing, soldiers' apartments, and the former DAPA as examples, the actual development targets, areas, and supply scale have not yet been sorted out, he said. The two sides agreed to meet again next week to continue discussions.
◇ Even the candidate sites aren't set, but law revision and soil remediation loom
The Special Act on Yongsan Park Development stipulates that the entire main U.S. base compound be developed as a park and that it cannot be repurposed or sold for non-park uses. Yongsan Children's Garden and Officers' Housing Complex 5 are part of the main compound. The former DAPA and soldiers' apartments were outside the main compound but were additionally incorporated into the Yongsan Park development district in 2021.
Building dwellings on the main compound would require revising the Special Act. The former DAPA and soldiers' apartments would also need to be excluded from the park development district and go through procedures such as amending the comprehensive master plan.
The Special Act amendment, whose passage at the National Assembly plenary session on the 20th was put on hold, would allow park development plans to be drawn up starting with returned sites; it is not a bill permitting dwelling construction on the main compound. The government and the ruling party are reviewing a separate exception clause to allow part of the park to be used as land for dwellings.
Even if candidate sites are finalized, soil contamination surveys and remediation may be necessary. The degree of contamination and the time required for remediation vary depending on each site's usage history. The Children's Garden and officers' housing sites used by U.S. forces require environmental surveys and safety verification. The former DAPA and soldiers' apartments used by Korea's military must also be checked for contamination before development.
Camp Kim, a mixed-use development site around Yongsan Park, was returned by the U.S. military in 2020, but roughly six years have passed and remediation has not been completed. Additional contamination was found at the United Nations Command site even after remediation was finished, prompting repeated work. This is why some expect that from selecting target sites to contamination surveys, remediation design and construction, and safety verification, the process could take years.
Jang Yun-young, a professor of environmental engineering at Kwangwoon University, said, "It takes considerable time for detailed investigation, design, remediation, and safety verification," adding, "Even if the supply of dwellings is expedited, the method of handling contaminated soil and related systems should be put in order first."
An environmental expert said, "Depending on the site, just the soil remediation could require considerable expense and time," adding, "Considering law revisions and the transfer of military facilities, it would not be easy to rule out the possibility that it could take more than 10 years to break ground."