Oh Se-hoon Stresses 'Balanced Development of Gangnam and Gangbuk'...Improvement of Height Restrictions in Northern Seoul

Formation of Northern Seoul Skyline around Bukhansan
Up to 1,300% Floor Area Ratio Allowed within 500 Meters of Transfer Stations

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul Mayor, has pledged to improve height restrictions in high-altitude districts in northern Seoul and to introduce special urban complex development provisions.

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, announced the 'Seoul Naejip' real estate pledge at the election campaign office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On May 19, Oh announced his "Balanced Development of Gangnam and Gangbuk" pledge, which includes these measures.

First, Oh plans to overhaul the height restrictions in high-altitude districts around Namsan and Bukhansan, where building heights had previously been limited for landscape protection. By lifting these restrictions, he aims to shape the skyline of northern Seoul and immediately supply around 3,500 housing units through small-scale redevelopment projects such as "Moatown."

He will introduce a special provision for urban complex development that allows a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of up to 1,300% within a 500-meter radius of high-traffic transfer stations. This will be accompanied by a project to stimulate growth potential areas by upgrading the zoning along main roads to general commercial districts. In 11 districts that have been less commercially viable, the public contribution ratio will be reduced from the current 50% to 30%, and a business adjustment coefficient will be introduced to expand FAR incentives by up to 40%. Through these measures, the plan is to induce the groundbreaking of a total of 200,000 housing units in northern and southwestern Seoul by 2031.

To resolve transportation blind spots in northern and southwestern Seoul, a large-scale arterial transportation connection project totaling 20.8 trillion won will also be implemented. For the construction of the Gangbuk Transversal Underground Expressway and the Southern Circular Underground Expressway, 3.4 trillion won and 1.7 trillion won will be invested, respectively. An additional 9.2 trillion won will be focused on accelerating the completion of seven subway lines: Gangbuk Transversal Line, Northeastern Line, Western Line, Mokdong Line, Myeonmok Line, Nangok Line, and the Ui-Sinseol Extension Line.

The investment resources will be secured by channeling development profits earned in areas with established infrastructure, such as southeastern Seoul, into northern Seoul. Oh's campaign explained, "Last month, an ordinance was amended to separate funds for public facility installation into a 'general account' and a 'Gangbuk and others development account.' Based on this, we will establish a 'Gangbuk Golden Era Fund' totaling 4.8 trillion won, combining 2.5 trillion won in pre-negotiation public contribution cash and 2.3 trillion won in public land sale proceeds."

Oh stated, "What is needed today is a growth strategy that not only focuses on regional development but also activates the heartbeat of Seoul evenly. By breaking the chains of regulation and establishing northern Seoul as a new axis of growth, we will enhance Seoul's future competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.