Minister Yoon Duk Kim Requests Data on Tancheon; Differences Remain on Yongsan Park

Second Meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon

What Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoon Duk Kim gained from his second meeting with Seoul Mayor Se-hoon Oh on the 26th was not a 'Yongsan agreement' but a 'Tancheon review.'

After a closed-door meeting lasting about an hour near Seoul City Hall on the same day, Minister Kim told reporters, "There are still areas that need to be addressed before we can reach specific agreements regarding Yongsan Park," adding, "We discussed the possibility of supplying housing at the Tancheon Water Reclamation Center, as suggested by Mayor Oh, and I expressed my intent to seriously consider it." The Tancheon Water Reclamation Center referenced by Mayor Oh is near Daecheong Station on Seoul Subway Line 3 in Ilwon-dong, Gangnam-gu. The site covers approximately 393,000 square meters, which is larger than the Children’s Garden (300,000 square meters) inside Yongsan Park.

Minister Kim added, "However, since there is no relevant data available at this time, I requested the Seoul city government to submit materials promptly," and further stated, "We will be able to discuss specifics only after reviewing the submitted data." In addition to the Tancheon site, Mayor Oh also proposed several smaller alternative sites capable of providing about 1,500 residential units.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoon Duk Kim and Seoul Mayor Se-hoon Oh are leaving a restaurant in Dalggaebi, Jung-gu, Seoul, after their second meeting regarding housing supply on the 26th. Photo by Dongju Yoon

The two sides remained at odds over the biggest issue: the use of the Yongsan Park site. Minister Kim stated, "We have not been able to narrow our differences," explaining, "Mayor Oh maintained his principled position that the main area of Yongsan Park should remain untouched." He further clarified, "The government is not trying to recklessly develop Yongsan Park. We conveyed our intent to construct housing for young people and newlyweds only within limited areas previously used as accommodations." Previously, at their meeting on the 20th, the two had also failed to reach a compromise on the use of the Yongsan Park site.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to collect public opinion and will not limit its options to specific sites. Minister Kim said, "There was never a precondition that it must be Yongsan Park," and added, "We will consider the possibility of building homes in previously damaged areas and pursue a process of public discussion."

The Yongsan Park site will not be included among the 73,000 units' worth of new housing sites scheduled to be announced next month. Minister Kim confirmed, "Yongsan Park was excluded from the 73,000-unit housing supply plan from the outset." Regarding the specific locations of new housing sites, he explained, "We have already held significant discussions and are finalizing the announcement date," and added, "I am refraining from providing details, as there is a concern that speculation could distort the market if the information is interpreted arbitrarily by speculators."

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