As a follow-up to the Aug. 13 housing supply measures, the government will exclude Seoul's development-restricted zones (greenbelt) and Yongsan Park from more than 73,000 new public housing sites to be announced in late September or early October. It appears to be because no agreement has been reached with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Additional sites are increasingly likely to be selected mainly from greenbelts in the Gyeonggi region close to Seoul, such as Hanam and Goyang.
According to the government on the 26th, First Vice Minister Kim Ei-tak of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport appeared on KTV on the 24th and said, "We plan to unveil more than 73,000 new public housing districts, the remaining volume of the Aug. 13 measures, in late September or early October," adding, "Seoul greenbelt volumes are not included." Yongsan Park, where the city and the government have not agreed on a supply plan, is also expected to be excluded from this announcement.
On the 13th, the government announced it would create new sites for 27,200 dwellings in three locations, including Gangseo District in Seoul and Namyangju and Gwangju in Gyeonggi. It plans to designate more than 73,000 additional dwellings within the year to secure more than 100,000 new public housing sites in the greater Seoul area.
With the announcement of the measures, the government designated parts of Seoul and the greater capital area greenbelts as land transaction permit zones, raising the possibility that Seoul's greenbelt would be included among the additional sites. A plan to build youth dwellings on part of Yongsan Park has also been mentioned by the government and political circles.
However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has opposed developing both the greenbelt and Yongsan Park. Its position is that the greenbelt should be preserved for future generations and Yongsan Park should be created as a national park under the existing plan. The government also appears to have concluded that it would be difficult to include sites not coordinated with the city in this supply round.
With Seoul's greenbelt and Yongsan Park excluded, additional sites are expected to be announced mainly in Gyeonggi. Since the Aug. 13 measures, the government has designated as land transaction permit zones 10 Gyeonggi cities—Seongnam, Uijeongbu, Anyang, Bucheon, Gwangmyeong, Goyang, Gwacheon, Guri, Hanam and Gimpo—and Gyeyang District in Incheon. However, designation as a land transaction permit zone does not mean selection as a new site.
In the industry, the Gambuk District in Hanam is cited as one of the leading candidate sites. Adjacent to Songpa and Gangdong districts in Seoul, it was designated in 2010 as a Bogeumjari housing district for about 20,000 dwellings, but after resident opposition and project delays, the designation was lifted in 2015. The area around Daegok Station in Goyang, which has good transportation conditions, is also being mentioned as a candidate.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is proposing to the government that it use other sites instead of developing Yongsan Park. On the 25th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon proposed transferring the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center in Gangnam District and creating a "southeastern youth-specialized industrial complex" there that combines residential and advanced industry facilities. The city envisions that if about half of the roughly 400,000 to 500,000 square meters is used for residential purposes, it could supply at least 10,000 and up to 13,000 dwellings.
Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and Mayor Oh will meet on the morning of the 26th to discuss new sites and plans to supply dwellings in downtown Seoul. Narrowing differences over developing Seoul's greenbelt and Yongsan Park and whether the government will accept the city's alternative site proposals, such as the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center, are expected to be key issues.