Construction of Art Museum on Former Jeongsosa Site

Public Notice for Viewing the 'Seoripul District Unit Plan Amendment' for the 160,000㎡ Area of Jeongbosa Site: October 22 to November 5... Transforming Jeongbosa Site, Which Has Hindered Regional Development for Over 40 Years, into a Cultural and Arts Complex Town

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] An art museum will be built on the former site of the Intelligence Command.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jo Eun-hee) announced on the 22nd the public inspection of the ‘Seoripul District Unit Plan Amendment (Draft)’ for the construction of a cultural and artistic complex town on the former Intelligence Command site, which has hindered regional development for over 40 years.

The ‘Seoripul District Unit Plan Amendment (Draft)’ is a matter submitted to Seocho-gu by the developer who purchased the Intelligence Command site in 2019, detailing a special planning district development plan (draft) for 97,000㎡ excluding the park area out of the total 160,000㎡.

The main contents of the public inspection include ▲ changes in the area of the district unit planning zone and special planning zone (adding one parcel) ▲ changing the original plan to upgrade from Type 3 General Residential Area to Type 2 General Residential Area without upgrading the land use zone ▲ changing the public contribution plan to introduce a cultural complex facility (art museum), among others.

This detailed development plan (draft) prohibits residential use to preserve the natural environment around Seoripul Park and includes the establishment of global business functions and tourist accommodation facilities, as well as cultural complex facilities (art museum) for job creation and future growth engines.

First, in connection with Seoripul Park, the southern site will attract companies related to the 4th industrial revolution such as blockchain and big data to build a 4th Industrial Revolution cluster, creating jobs and strengthening urban competitiveness in the global era by including global business functions for future growth.

Additionally, on the northern site, plans are underway to build a world-class tourist hotel as a support facility for the global business town, creating an eco-friendly advanced business hub that provides accommodation for foreign companies for international business collaboration and natural tourism and leisure facilities within the city.

Furthermore, through public contributions, an art museum representing Seoul and Seocho will be built to create synergy as a complex cultural space.

If the project is implemented according to this plan (draft), a total of 2.3 trillion KRW will be invested by 2025, and it is expected to greatly contribute to job creation for youth by creating an eco-friendly complex business district with a state-of-the-art smart office environment linked to Seoripul Park.

The site has hindered regional development since 1971 when the Intelligence Command was established, cutting off traffic between Bangbae-dong and Seocho-dong and blocking the development of surrounding areas.

As the Ministry of National Defense considered relocating the Intelligence Command, plans for large-scale apartment construction on this site to cover relocation costs led to conflicts over preservation and development, including disputes over tunnel openings and site sales.

Entering the 6th elected administration, the project gained momentum through a two-track strategy of opening the Seoripul Tunnel and establishing a district unit plan for site development after multiple consultations with related organizations.

Subsequently, in 2016, the ‘Seoripul District Unit Plan’ was established to utilize the site as a complex business and cultural district for residents instead of apartment complexes, and in 2019, the Seoripul Tunnel connecting the long-blocked Seoridaero was opened.

The district expects this public inspection to be a starting point for the ‘Seoripul Complex Cultural Space Creation’ and ‘Cultural Triangle Belt Development,’ which are long-awaited projects by Seocho-gu residents.

Going forward, after the public inspection of the ‘Seoripul District Unit Plan Amendment (Draft),’ the district plans to request the Seoul Metropolitan Government to make a decision around November after consultation with the district’s Urban and Architecture Joint Committee.

Mayor Jo Eun-hee said, “With the cultural and business complex and an art museum representing Seoul built on the Intelligence Command site protected by both Seoul and Seocho-gu, we expect the status of Seocho as a cultural and artistic central city to rise.” She added, “Together with the Naebang Station District Unit Plan finalized last September and the Seocho-ro District Unit Plan currently in the decision process, this completes the last puzzle connecting Seocho’s east-west axis and Banpo-daero cultural development axis, making it a central hub of Seocho-gu.”

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