The government plans to supply 18,000 homes in prime Seoul locations including Seocho, Yongsan and Mapo districts through its urban public housing complex program. It is the first time in three years that the government has designated new candidate sites for the program, signaling a push to speed up supply. Notably, the sought-after Gangnam area is included for the first time, which is expected to draw greater market attention.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 30th that it had selected 11 new candidate sites in Seoul as a follow-up to the housing fast-track supply plan announced in August. Two sites are in Gwangjin District, with one each in Gangseo, Guro, Mapo, Seocho, Seongbuk, Songpa, Yangcheon, Yongsan and Eunpyeong. Six are near subway stations and five are low-rise residential areas, together accounting for 18,000 homes. The ministry narrowed the list from 44 resident proposals submitted during a public call from March to May, weighing factors such as building age, project feasibility and the share of residents in favor.
The largest site is south of Yeomchang Station in Mokdong, Yangcheon District, where 4,222 units will be built. Another 4,040 units are planned north of Hyochang Park Station in Yongsan District, a transfer point between subway Line 6 and the Gyeongui-Jungang Line with strong transit access. In addition, 2,335 units are planned east of Hwagok Station in Gangseo District and 1,663 units east of Achasan Station in Gwangjin District. Other sites include 961 units west of Baengnyeonsan in Eunpyeong District and 940 units near Mangwon Sports Park in Mapo District. Seocho and Songpa districts, which had no candidate sites until now, were selected for the first time: 935 units near Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Songpa District, and 918 units east of Isu Station in Bangbae-dong, Seocho District.
The ministry plans to hold briefings for residents of the newly selected sites in October, designate the planned districts in the first half of next year and break ground in the second half of 2030. It also plans another public call for sites in the greater Seoul area in the first half of next year, and projects excluded from this round can reapply after addressing shortcomings such as securing resident support and revising district boundaries.
The urban public housing complex program is an urban redevelopment scheme in which the public sector directly carries out projects and grants incentives such as higher floor area ratios in aging city areas where private redevelopment was difficult because of poor feasibility. It has the advantage of delivering housing quickly and reliably by streamlining complex permit procedures. But progress has been slow: not a single site has broken ground since the program was introduced in 2021, as the government's push for public benefits collided with residents' concerns over their share of the costs.
Once the government began offering various incentives to improve project feasibility, the program that had been shunned drew renewed interest from residents. In last year's Sept. 7 supply measures, the government revived the program as a way to deliver 50,000 homes. As a follow-up, it raised the floor area ratio cap for participating projects to as much as 1.4 times from 1.2 times and eased requirements such as the obligation to create parks. An amendment to the Special Act on Public Housing extending the program's sunset deadline by three years also passed the National Assembly last month.
The program is currently underway at 47 sites nationwide covering 85,000 homes. The first to break ground will be a site near Jemulpo Station in Incheon (3,497 units), which would start construction this year, five years after being selected as a candidate site. An official at one urban complex district said, "A project that would have taken far longer under private leadership has been moved up by about 10 years, and everyone is satisfied." The official added, "It is also encouraging that the easing of the floor area ratio to 1.4 times is increasing the number of homes available for general sale."
Still, along with the expansion of candidate sites, what will determine the actual pace of the projects is securing resident consent. Even after being selected as a candidate, a site requires the consent of at least two-thirds of landowners and other property owners, as well as owners of at least half of the land area, to be designated as a complex district. Because the development is publicly led, persuading residents on compensation levels and cost shares is expected to affect how the projects proceed.
Meanwhile, the ministry has been working to accelerate the program. Earlier this month it designated two complex districts — west of Goeunsan in Seodaemun District (2,577 units) and near Gangseo High School in Mok 4-dong, Yangcheon District (4,209 units) — and has since added three more: the Songjung-dong community service center in Gangbuk District (1,083 units), Nokbeon-dong neighborhood park in Eunpyeong District (2,676 units) and Singil 4 in Yeongdeungpo District (1,273 units). Together, the five sites account for 11,818 homes.
Jung Woo-jin, head of the ministry's housing supply promotion office, said, "The urban public housing complex program is a key redevelopment tool that can quickly meet housing demand in city centers." The official added, "Having promised to expand the program through the Aug. 13 measures, we will not stop at selecting candidate sites but will support the follow-up steps, including district designation and approval of project plans, so they proceed without setbacks."
