Land minister says additional greenbelt housing supply to be limited to Gyeonggi Province
Summary
Land Minister Kim Yun-duk said Wednesday that the government’s additional greenbelt-based housing supply will be limited to Gyeonggi Province, not Seoul. He made the remarks ahead of talks with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, as the two sides discussed housing supply in the capital area. The government plans to announce additional development sites in late September, while Seoul and the ministry remain divided over greenbelt and Yongsan Park proposals.
Key Facts
- The ministry is preparing a plan to supply 73,000 new housing units, and Kim said those units will be supplied in Gyeonggi Province.
- Earlier this month, the government announced plans to begin construction of 27,000 homes by 2030 in Gangseo in western Seoul, as well as Namyangju and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province.
- The land ministry plans to announce additional development sites capable of accommodating more than 73,000 homes in late September.
- The Seoul city government has opposed developing environmentally protected greenbelt areas, and Oh Se-hoon has also opposed the proposal to build homes in Yongsan Park.
- The Seoul city government says the 390,000-square-meter Tancheon Water Recycling Center site in Gangnam could accommodate up to 13,000 new homes.
Land Minister Kim Yun-duk, center, fields questions by reporters ahead of his meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in the capital city, Wednesday. Yonhap
Land Minister Kim Yun-duk said Wednesday the government's plan to provide additional housing by developing greenbelt areas will be limited to Gyeonggi Province, amid differences with the Seoul city government over housing supply measures in the capital.
Kim made the remarks in response to questions over whether the ministry's upcoming plan to supply 73,000 new housing units would include sites in Seoul, ahead of a meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to discuss housing supply in the capital and surrounding areas.
"The 73,000 housing units will be supplied in Gyeonggi Province," Kim told reporters, effectively ruling out greenbelt areas in Seoul from the government's upcoming housing development plan.
Earlier this month, the government announced plans to begin construction of 27,000 homes by 2030 through new housing development projects in Gangseo in western Seoul, as well as Namyangju and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province.
The land ministry also said it plans to announce additional development sites capable of accommodating more than 73,000 homes in late September, prompting speculation that underutilized land or greenbelt areas in Seoul could be included.
The government's broader housing supply push, however, has faced questions over its feasibility amid opposition from the Seoul city government to developing environmentally protected greenbelt areas.
Oh, who is affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party, has also openly opposed the government's proposal to build homes in Yongsan Park in central Seoul.
Instead, the mayor has proposed the idea of utilizing the Tancheon Water Recycling Center in Seoul's Gangnam district as an alternative site for housing development.
Following Wednesday's talks, Kim said he and Oh agreed to consider the water recycling center as a potential housing site, noting that the two sides will discuss the proposal further after reviewing relevant materials to be provided by the Seoul city government.
The Seoul city government estimates that the 390,000-square-meter site in the affluent Seoul district could accommodate up to 13,000 new homes.
The two sides, however, failed to reach a concrete agreement on the proposed development of Yongsan Park.
The park, mostly located on land returned from the former U.S. military garrison, spans about 3 million square meters, equivalent to roughly 420 soccer fields.
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