Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 27th that, through consultations with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, more than 100,000 dwellings could be supplied in the greater Seoul area. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to announce as early as next month a plan to supply more than 73,000 new housing sites, and if the Seoul Metropolitan Government cooperates on alternative sites and expanding supply in the urban core, an additional 30,000 to 40,000 dwellings could be built.
Minister Kim appeared on CBS Radio in the morning and said, "If conversations with Mayor Oh Se-hoon go well, the 76,000 units could be expanded with additional volume from Seoul," adding, "If about 30,000 or 40,000 are added, it could effectively result in more than 100,000 dwellings being supplied."
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are holding talks to supply dwellings in the urban core. The additional supply measures the government will announce next month do not include Yongsan Park or the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center in Gangnam District, which the city proposed as an alternative site.
Minister Kim said, "What matters more is sending the market a signal that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will join forces to revitalize the supply of dwellings in Seoul," adding, "We need to minimize young people being pushed to the outskirts of Seoul and the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province by supplying dwellings within the Seoul area."
Minister Kim plans to launch a feasibility review of the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center in Irwon-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, which the city proposed as an alternative site to Yongsan Park. Minister Kim said, "We will review whether dwellings can be supplied and, if so, in what way and with what content they should be built." He then said, "Deciding to proceed with a transfer is the easy part," adding, "Selecting the relocation site and relocation location is harder."
At the same time, Minister Kim said that if dwellings are supplied at the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center, the focus should be on supplying public dwellings for young people and newlyweds. Minister Kim said, "Because it is Gangnam, we do not want to build luxury apartments or pursue a city development format; rather, we should prioritize building public dwellings that can be supplied to young people and newlyweds."
On the Yongsan Park issue, he said that consultations made progress in the second meeting with Mayor Oh, but added that he would continue talks to narrow differences. The government's position is to supply youth dwellings on damaged parts of the main Yongsan Park site, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government argues for preserving the park's historic character and green space.
Minister Kim said, "The dwelling problems for young people, which were unimaginable in the era of President Roh Moo-hyun, have become serious," adding, "The question is whether we can build dwellings for young people on some damaged areas." Minister Kim mentioned the potential use of sites including the Officers' Housing Complex No. 5 and the former Defense Acquisition Program Administration site, as well as the former U.S. military hospital and school sites, but added, "If it is said that such and such sites are under discussion, criticism will immediately arise that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has already decided," saying he would go through a public discussion process.
Even if Yongsan Park is developed with dwellings, the nature of the dwellings—such as public rental or for sale—has not yet been decided, Minister Kim said. While reviewing young people, newlyweds, and multi-child households as priority targets, Minister Kim also voiced concern that "given the locational characteristics of Yongsan, it could become a 'lottery rental.'" He added that "questions like 'Why should only those people get to move in cheaply?' could raise fairness issues," and said that "social debate is needed, and careful consideration is needed" on rents and eligibility.