ED Yongsan Park needs consensus, not political tug of war

The future of Seoul’s urban park in Yongsan District, previously used as a U.S. military base, has sparked a debate over the preservation and use of urban space. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has maintained its support for the initial plan to transform the roughly 3-square-kilometer Yongsan Garrison into a green urban space for citizens. Meanwhile, the Lee Jae Myung administration is pushing to develop part of the territory for affordable housing for young people, newlywed couples and working-class citizens struggling to find homes amid a housing shortage in the metropolitan area.

Officials of the central and local governments met last week to narrow their differences, but the meeting failed to produce an agreement. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Land Minister Kim Yun-duk are scheduled to meet again this week to seek common ground. Chances of an agreement appear slim, given Oh’s strong opposition to building housing inside the park. Oh has been a vocal critic of the proposal, saying that consenting to the land ministry’s plan to build affordable housing inside the park would be akin to committing a “crime.”

Under the Special Act on the Creation of Yongsan Park, passed in 2007, the nation committed to turning the former military site into a green urban space. Oh argues that any change to that plan is therefore “unacceptable.”

The land ministry, however, maintains that it plans to use only part of the territory, not the entire park, for affordable housing. It has identified areas once occupied by military officers’ and soldiers’ housing and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration as possible sites for the project, arguing that these areas have already been “destroyed” by existing buildings. The ministry insists that preserving the park and building affordable housing are not mutually exclusive, apparently seeking to pressure the Seoul mayor into making concessions.

Oh expressed his dissatisfaction with the ministry’s characterization of the sites.

“They are candidate areas for the park. Therefore, calling them destroyed sites is inappropriate, and such a designation cannot justify the central government’s housing plan,” he said.

The mayor instead recommended that the land ministry consider areas around the park, such as a parking lot and a dormitory for Bank of Korea employees, as possible sites for affordable housing. The ministry rejected the proposal, saying the suggested areas are too small for the project.

Parks are an important public good. Their presence is essential to urban aesthetics, while green open spaces also help cities combat climate change.

Despite the important role of urban green spaces, circumstances may arise in which parts of such areas need to be repurposed for a greater public purpose. When that happens, compromise is necessary. A decision of this magnitude requires consensus among community members. Neither the central nor local government should push ahead without securing the support of residents. Before deciding whether to preserve or repurpose public space, authorities should ask the people who live in and around the area because they are the key stakeholders.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the land ministry should work together to hold a series of public hearings, rather than just once, to gather information and hear residents’ views on how the two values — preservation and public use — can coexist.

Building consensus is a daunting task. Before implementing the Cheonggye Stream restoration project, then-Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak reportedly met with vendors doing business in the area and local residents more than 4,000 times. He listened to their concerns and expectations. The urban beautification project has since become a model of successful consensus building.

As the Cheonggye Stream restoration project demonstrates, the debate over the preservation or use of Yongsan Park should not be about which government has jurisdiction over the site. It should be about building consensus.

The central and local governments should cooperate in organizing public hearings, invite as many citizens as possible and give them an opportunity to speak. Officials should listen carefully to community members and reflect their views in the final decision. If a decision is made based on partisan interests rather than the opinions of stakeholders, it is likely to backfire.

Ultimately, the future of Yongsan Park should be determined through meaningful dialogue and public consensus, not by a contest of political authority.