Hanam City: "Transportation and Jobs Must Be in Place Before Move-In for 18,500 New-Town Homes"

Responds to announcement of candidate sites for 12,000 homes on Misa Island and 6,500 in Gamildong
Calls for K-Culture Complex District and transportation network to be in place before residents move in
Calls for resettlement and livelihood support for existing residents, and efforts to narrow the gap between new towns and the old city center

After the government announced areas on Misa Island and in Gamildong, Hanam, as candidate sites for public housing districts, Hanam City called for transportation facilities to be completed before residents move in, jobs to be secured, and measures to help existing residents resettle. The city said that, alongside housing supply, the areas should be equipped with cultural, industrial, and transportation infrastructure to strengthen their self-sufficiency.

A view of Hanam City Hall. Photo provided by Hanam City.

In a statement issued on October 29, Hanam City said candidate sites for public housing districts had been announced as a follow-up to the government's August 13 housing supply measures. The plans cover 12,000 homes on Misa Island and 6,500 in Gamildong, for a total of 18,500 homes.

The city said, "We cannot help but feel deep regret for the residents who will lose their homes and livelihoods as their areas are incorporated into the project districts under the government's housing supply policy. Although it is difficult to pursue three new town projects at the same time, we had no choice but to proceed with consultations in response to the government's request."

Hanam City said that securing self-sufficiency is key to this development. According to the city, all of Hanam is designated as an overconcentration control region, while areas subject to restrictions on factory construction and development-restricted areas account for 87% and 72%, respectively. The city said overlapping regulations have left it short of jobs, and that gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita, at about 28 million won, has declined for three consecutive years.

In the "Hanam Misa K-Culture District" on Misa Island, the city plans to develop the K-Culture Complex it has been pursuing into a "K-Culture Complex District." The city said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport had announced that it would draw up plans for both a park integrated with the natural environment and the K-Culture Complex District, adding that it would pursue the project to strengthen Hanam's economic capacity and foundations for growth.

On transportation, the city proposed that the government build a public transit system linking Misa Station on Subway Line 5 with the extensions of Lines 9 and 3, and improve access routes to and from Misa Island. It plans to continue consultations on the matter.

The city plans to develop "Gamil District 2," which includes parts of Gamildong and Gambuk-dong, into an integrated living area in southwestern Hanam linked to the existing Gamil District, and to consult on securing land for self-sustaining uses.

The city also called for improvements to Seohanam IC, where traffic congestion has worsened since the Sejong-Pocheon Expressway opened. With the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport having announced that it would review improvements to Seohanam IC, the city plans to discuss measures including fully grade-separating the interchange, as well as expanding the road network in coordination with the metropolitan transportation improvement plan for Gyosan New Town.

The city also called for measures to improve public transit access, including building a new station on Subway Line 3, coordinating the extension of the Wirye-Sinsa Line to Gamil, and adding bus routes to Seoul.

Hanam City said it would gather residents' views from the early stages of designating the new districts and convey them to the government. It plans to press for solutions to issues on which talks with Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in the existing Gyosan and Gamil districts have made little progress, as well as to residents' concerns, and to call for the swift development of Gyosan New Town. The city will also seek updates to relevant plans and systems to narrow the gap between the new towns and the old city center.

A Hanam City official said, "We will work to ensure that these new towns are developed not through the one-sided housing supply seen in the past, but in a way that provides homes and jobs together and delivers infrastructure, including transportation, at the same time. We will not lose sight of the particular importance of promoting regional development, helping existing residents resettle, and putting livelihood support measures in place."

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