Seoul's First 'Moa Housing' Welcomes Residents in September... Oh Sehoon: "40,000 Units to Be Supplied by 2031"

Hanyang Yeonrip in Gwangjin-gu Becomes First Completed and Occupied Moa Housing Project
Project Completed in Three Years After Integrated Review
99 Units Expanded to 215, Adding 116 Households

'Moa Housing,' a project that redevelops aging low-rise residential areas in Seoul by consolidating them into single units, has welcomed its first residents after completion. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, "We will break ground on 40,000 units of Moa Housing by 2031 to strengthen housing stability for citizens."

Aerial view after the development of "Moa Housing No. 1," Hanyang Yeonrip, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul City. Seoul City

On September 28, Mayor Oh visited Hanyang Yeonrip in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, the city's first Moa Housing project, where he toured the housing facilities and shared the project's progress and achievements with stakeholders. He emphasized, "Without Moa Housing, renewal would have been impossible," and added, "It is meaningful that residents starting their new lives here will benefit from an improved living environment."

First introduced by Seoul City in 2022, Moa Housing is a small-scale housing renewal initiative that brings together aging low-rise neighborhoods, which have difficulty meeting redevelopment or reconstruction requirements, and refines them on a lot or block basis. On sites ranging from 1,500 to 13,000 square meters, neighboring landowners combine their parcels to build multi-family housing. The concept of 'Moa Town' goes a step further by jointly upgrading infrastructure such as roads, parking lots, and parks, allowing individual development sites to be systematically managed and maintained like a large apartment complex.

Hanyang Yeonrip represents the first example where the intent of the Moa Housing system has resulted in actual occupancy and serves as its model case. After completion last month, move-ins began this month. With an aging rate of 94%, and 70% of all homes being semi-basement units, the area suffered from constant illegal parking on its 6-meter-wide roads, as well as shortages of parking and resident rest areas, making housing environment improvements an urgent concern. Notably, the zone’s total area is 9,877 square meters, falling short of the 10,000 square meter threshold required for large-scale redevelopment, making it difficult to pursue such projects. Thanks to Moa Housing, the previously old low-rise area has been transformed from 99 units to a 215-unit apartment complex, an increase of 116 units.

Seoul City relaxed regulations and improved the business environment by applying Moa Housing review standards. The maximum building height was raised from 10 stories to 15, and the floor area ratio increased from 234% to 248%. The number of buildings was reduced from six to four, improving daylight, ventilation, and the use of space within the complex. As a result, the planned number of units increased from 211 to 215.

With support from the city in relaxing regulations, local district assistance, and strong private sector initiative, the project was accelerated. Hanyang Yeonrip underwent an integrated review in June 2023, began construction in February 2024, and was completed last month. If the project had followed the traditional large-scale redevelopment approach, it would have taken more than eight years; with the new approach, it was finished in just three years from review to completion.

The project's success is spreading throughout Gwangjin-gu. Currently, 27 Moa Housing projects are underway in 10 Moa Towns across Gwangjin-gu, and resident consent forms are being collected in an additional 10 zones for the selection of new Moa Town candidate sites. Since the initial launch of Moa Town, 168 Moa Housing cooperatives have been established; of these, 14 sites (2,200 units) have started construction, and 27 sites (3,800 units) have completed business implementation approval and are about to break ground. Next year, three new Moa Housing projects—Saekwang Honey Town in Jungnang-gu, Bangbae 3-dong in Seocho-gu, and Seongdoseogwang in Mapo-gu—are set to begin move-ins.

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