Jongno District Chief Yoo Chanjong: "Changsin Redevelopment Should Reflect Residents' Wishes... Process Must Be Lawful"

Interview with Jongno District Head Yoo Chanjong
"Legal Issues in the Consent Collection Process"
Strengthening On-the-Ground Administration to Improve Residents' Daily Lives

"Rather than making a bold decision, we need to reflect residents' free will, and the process must be lawful."

Yoo Chanjong, mayor of Jongno District in Seoul (pictured), stressed the importance of residents' voluntary consent and protecting original residents in connection with the redevelopment of Changsin Districts 9 and 10. He said he had called for the consent forms to be collected again after raising concerns about allegations that residents had been pressured by threats of disadvantage during the consent process. He also said that, given that cultural heritage and height restrictions limit the project's feasibility, residents should carefully consider their contributions and whether they would be able to resettle.

Jongno District Mayor Yoo Chanjong explains to The Asia Business Daily why he called for consent forms to be collected again for Changsin Districts 9 and 10. Photo provided by Jongno District.

When we met in his office on October 28, Mayor Yoo said, "This measure is not intended to block redevelopment, but to correct the way consent was obtained."

On October 23, Jongno District asked the promotion committees for Changsin Districts 9 and 10 to collect consent forms for the designation of a trust company as project operator again from the beginning. The request came just over four months after the two districts applied for the designation in June, saying they had met the statutory consent requirement of at least three-quarters of landowners and other property owners.

The area was designated for redevelopment only in November last year, after its New Town designation was lifted in 2013 and it was selected as the first urban regeneration project. This has heightened concerns among residents who support redevelopment that the project could be halted once again.

Three Issues Raised by Mayor Yoo

Jongno District said it had confirmed three main issues after reviewing the relevant laws in response to a report from an emergency committee representing residents opposed to redevelopment.

First, it was alleged that residents who submitted consent forms were promised items worth 40 million won, including built-in appliances, balcony extensions, and system air conditioners. It was also alleged that residents who did not submit consent forms received text messages saying, in effect, that they would not receive these benefits or information about the redevelopment. The district also took issue with the provision of misleading information that residents who did not consent could be subject to cash settlement.

The district determined that this violated Article 132 of the Act on the Improvement of Urban Areas and Residential Environments, which prohibits promises of money or other benefits, and concluded that it could not accept the application to designate a project operator based on the existing consent forms. Under the Act, in a redevelopment project, residents do not lose their eligibility to apply for an allocation of units solely because they did not consent to the designation of a project operator. Cash settlement applies, for example, to those who do not apply for an allocation or are excluded under the management and disposal plan.

"People's property is at stake, so this is an extremely sensitive issue," Mayor Yoo said. "We need to examine how consent was obtained and what was explained, rather than focus on the consent rate as a number." He added, "It is a problem to intimidate residents by telling them that they will be subject to cash settlement if the consent rate does not reach 75%."

Mayor Yoo said that collecting consent forms again would "actually be the faster route." He said, "If a lawsuit is filed to invalidate the consent forms after money has been spent on design and relocation following the designation of a project operator, it could cause considerable delays and confusion."

Materials presented by Jongno-gu as examples of problems in the collection of consent forms for Changsin Districts 9 and 10. Provided by Jongno-gu.

The redevelopment promotion committees, however, see things differently. The promotion committee for District 10 said the wording in question merely explained the project plan and was not grounds for invalidating the consent forms. It held a rally in front of the district office on October 30. The promotion committee for District 9, meanwhile, is reportedly considering accepting the request to make revisions.

Mayor Yoo moved from Gyoyang-dong and lived in Changsin-dong for about 13 years. On redevelopment, he said the issues to be addressed also include the concerns of residents opposed to redevelopment, the area's topographical limitations, and the livelihoods of sewing industry workers and the challenges they face in relocating.

Suspending Lunch-Hour Enforcement Cut Complaints by 19% and Fines by 69%

Since July, Jongno District has expanded the areas where parking enforcement is suspended from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., from 16 locations monitored by closed-circuit television (CCTV) to 196 locations across the district. A comparison of the periods before and after the change shows that monthly parking-related complaints during the suspension period fell by 19.4%, from an average of 1,462 to 1,179. The number of fines processed dropped by 69.4%, from 477 to 146. Guidance and administrative advisories, meanwhile, rose by 22%, from 554 to 675.

Mayor Yoo said, "This is the result of shifting from uniform enforcement focused on fines to an approach centered on on-site guidance and advisories." He added, "Unlike general tax revenue, parking fines are penalties for violations of public order," and said, "Even if fine revenue declines, we will find other sources of funding."

"The issues I heard about most often on the ground were parking and traffic, the residential environment, and safety," he said. "Many residents ask us to address the inconveniences they face every day. I will work tirelessly so they can feel the difference in their daily lives and take pride in living in Jongno."

Jongno District Mayor Yoo Chanjong is interviewed by The Asia Business Daily in his office on the 28th of last month. Photo provided by Jongno-gu.

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