Booyoung Group's long-stalled mixed-use development next to Seoul Forest is moving forward again. The project will rise up to 49 stories between Acro Seoul Forest and Galleria Foret, two luxury residential complexes near the park, and will house 383 apartment units, 622 hotel rooms and a 903-seat performance hall.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Sept. 23 that its 17th architectural committee had approved the plan for a mixed-use building in Special Planning District IV of the Ttukseom area. The site sits between Seoul Forest Station and Seoul Forest at 685-701 Seongsu-dong 1-ga in Seongdong District.
Booyoung Group bought the land from the city for about 370 billion won ($266 million) in 2009. Adjacent to Seoul Forest and the Han River, it is considered one of the prime locations in Seongsu-dong. The group broke ground in March 2019, but construction halted and the project drifted for years.
The plan has expanded through repeated reviews aimed at improving returns. Retail space was cut back sharply in favor of housing. Apartment units rose to 383 from the 332 previously planned, an increase of 51, while hotel rooms grew to 622 from 604. The complex will span eight basement levels and 49 floors above ground, with the apartments and the hotel each taking up about 130,000 square meters of floor area and cultural and assembly facilities, including the 903-seat theater, accounting for about 10,000 square meters.
The latest review also revised the design to strengthen links between Seoul Forest and nearby cultural facilities. The performance hall was repositioned to adjoin Understand Avenue, a cultural space built from shipping containers. An observation deck open to local residents will be built on the 46th floor of the hotel, and 133 parking spaces open to the public will be created on the third basement level.
Walkways connecting Seoul Forest Station to the surrounding area are also planned. The development will include two public pedestrian passages, one sunken open space linked to Seoul Forest Station and two publicly accessible open spaces, with rest areas for the public on the lower floors. The developer has also completed a public contribution in the form of long-term affordable retail space to guard against gentrification. Construction is set to resume shortly.
Along with the Ttukseom project, the committee approved a plan to build the National Medical Center and the Central Infectious Disease Hospital. Under the modernization project, the number of beds will expand to 776 in total from the current 499, with 526 at the National Medical Center, 100 at the Central Trauma Center and 150 at the Central Infectious Disease Hospital. The panel also cleared a remodeling project that would increase the Munjeong Keonyoung apartment complex in Munjeong-dong, Songpa District, to 610 units from 545.
