Yongin Becomes First in Korea to Subsidize Redevelopment and Reconstruction Planning Service Fees... Up to 200 Million Won in Support

Yongin City to Subsidize Up to 50% of Urban Planning Service Fees
Lowering Residents' Financial Burden and Laying the Foundation for Resident-Led Urban Maintenance Projects

Yongin Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sangil) has become the first in the country to implement a system that supports the cost of urban planning service fees for redevelopment and reconstruction projects initiated directly by residents. The aim is to accelerate resident-led urban regeneration by alleviating the initial service fee burden, which has been cited as the biggest obstacle to such projects.

Yongin Special City Hall view. Provided by Yongin City

The city announced on the 26th that the "Partial Amendment to the Ordinance on Urban and Residential Environmental Improvement for Yongin City," which establishes a legal basis for subsidizing the cost of establishing maintenance plans for redevelopment and reconstruction projects proposed by residents, was passed in its original form at the 305th temporary session of the Yongin City Council held on the 23rd.

The current "Act on the Maintenance and Improvement of Urban Areas and Dwelling Conditions for Residents" allows land or building owners to draft maintenance plans and propose that their areas be designated as maintenance zones. However, residents have had to cover all initial costs—often running into hundreds of millions of won—for professional service contracts to establish such plans, making this a major impediment to driving projects forward.

To ease this financial strain, the amended ordinance stipulates that the residents who first propose a maintenance plan may receive up to 50% of the service fee for establishing the maintenance plan, with a limit of up to 200 million won per district. The funds for this assistance will be sourced from the Urban and Residential Environmental Improvement Fund. Subsidies will be provided after the project receives approval for association establishment and after completing procedures in accordance with relevant regulations.

The city expects this new system to significantly reduce residents' initial funding burdens, facilitate greater participation in redevelopment and reconstruction projects, and enable residents to be directly involved in plan formulation from the outset. This should allow local conditions and resident input to be more faithfully reflected. The initiative is also expected to reduce delays caused by plan changes and resident conflicts that may arise during the implementation process.

The amended ordinance will take effect in August, coinciding with its public announcement, and will apply to maintenance zones where plans are established after implementation.

Mayor Lee Sangil commented, "In the early stages of redevelopment and reconstruction projects, residents have faced considerable financial burdens. Through this pioneering system implemented for the first time in the nation, we will reduce those burdens and actively support the stable progress of resident-led urban maintenance projects."

He added, "We expect this initiative to provide tangible benefits by improving residential environments for citizens and strengthening the city's competitiveness."

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