[2020 National Audit] Seoul City: "Sale of Songhyeon-dong Site Is Not a Property Rights Violation... Park Development Planned"

Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, "Development of Songhyeon-dong Site Impossible Under Current System"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim On-yu] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has stated that the plan to sell the Songhyeon-dong site owned by Korean Air is not an infringement of private property rights and that it will continue to pursue the plan to create a cultural park.

Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, responded on the 20th at the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s audit held at Seoul City Hall to the question from Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who asked, “There are suspicions that the sale of the Songhyeon-dong land for park development by the Seoul city government infringes on private property rights,” saying, “It is currently under discussion through mediation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and it is not an infringement of private property rights.”

Acting Mayor Seo pointed out that the Songhyeon-dong site cannot be developed under current regulations. He said, “There were previously two development plans by private companies for the Songhyeon-dong site, but under current laws and regulations, due to height restrictions and the school protection zone, development is not possible.”

He added, “This land should be used to create a cultural park that preserves its historical and traditional value, and I believe a museum or exhibition hall should be established there with the consensus of the citizens.”

Regarding the purchase price of the site, Acting Mayor Seo said, “We will fairly evaluate it based on the appraised value and proceed with negotiations.”

Meanwhile, on the 7th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held the 14th Urban and Architectural Joint Committee meeting and announced that the district unit plan decision (amendment) for Bukchon, including the Korean Air Songhyeon-dong site, was “approved with modifications.” The amendment includes abolishing the “special planning zone” designation for the 37,141.6㎡ former U.S. ambassador’s residence site in Songhyeon-dong and designating it as a “park.”

However, the official announcement of the decision, which has legal effect, will be postponed until the ongoing mediation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission is completed. The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated, “Considering Korean Air’s situation of needing to recover the sale amount by early next year, we are also reviewing and negotiating in detail the possibility of a third party pre-purchasing the Songhyeon-dong site and later exchanging it with city-owned land.”

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