Saved the 'Gongwon Budji' That Almost Disappeared... Half the Size of Seoul Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 18th that it has preserved park land in Seoul equivalent to half the city's area, which was on the verge of disappearing due to the 'Park Expiration System.'

According to the Ministry, park land that has not been developed for 20 years will automatically lose its designation starting next month on the 1st. This is due to the 'Park Expiration System,' which causes the loss of park designation if local governments do not carry out development projects on designated park land within 20 years.

However, the Ministry explained that as a result of joint efforts by the government, local governments, and citizens, 310㎢ (84%) of the 368㎢ subject to expiration will maintain their function as park land. When privately owned land is designated as park land, it cannot be developed for other purposes.

To maximize the development of the 368㎢ of land subject to expiration into parks, the government selected park land to be developed through two measures in April 2018 and May last year and began financial support for local governments.

While promoting park development plans linked with national projects such as urban regeneration and regional development projects, the LH Land Bank actively supported by purchasing land on behalf of local governments.

Once the confirmed park projects are completed, 650 new parks will be created nationwide, and the park area per capita is expected to increase by 30% (from the current 10.1㎡ to 13.0㎡).

On the same day, the government held a National Policy Issue Inspection and Coordination Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun to review the status of resolving long-term undeveloped parks and discuss measures to ensure smooth park development in the future.

Kwon Hyuk-jin, Director of Urban Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "As the importance of parks grows in response to climate change and the post-COVID-19 era, we will make every policy effort to maximize the creation of green spaces."

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