Yongsan District Strongly Opposes Review of Housing Supply in Yongsan Park

"Do Not Damage the National Park Returned After 120 Years"

Yongsan District in Seoul has come out in direct opposition to the government's consideration of supplying housing within Yongsan Park. On the 15th, the district issued a statement expressing deep regret and strong opposition to Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yoon-duk’s remarks that the entire Yongsan Park, beyond just the Yongsan Children's Garden, would be reviewed as a potential site for housing supply.

Yongsan International Business District site. Photo by Yonhap News.

The district emphasized, “Yongsan Park is the last large-scale national park returning to the people in central Seoul in 120 years,” adding, “We must not view Yongsan Park — which is expected to become a symbolic national space — from the perspective of whether there is land that can be utilized for housing supply.”

As an alternative, the district proposed expanding new housing supply through revitalization of existing downtown reconstruction and redevelopment projects. It stressed, “We must first seek ways to harmonize urban functionality with public interest.”

Yongsan District stated, “While housing can be additionally supplied elsewhere, a large-scale urban national park that serves as a national symbol and is a legacy for future generations cannot be recreated once lost.” The district further declared, “We will resolutely respond to any development attempts that damage the original value and identity of Yongsan Park.”

This position was announced following Minister Kim’s comments at a press conference marking his first year in office on August 14 at the Sejong Government Complex, where he said that using only the Yongsan Children’s Garden for housing supply was a limited approach and that the entire Yongsan Park was under consideration. Although the government had previously excluded the Yongsan Children's Garden from new housing development in its August 13 real estate measures, the minister’s latest remarks have expanded the scope of the review.

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