Dangerous Buildings in Urban Areas like Jinju, Cheongdo, and Yeoju Reborn as Living SOC Facilities

At the 26th Urban Regeneration Special Committee, Jinju, Cheongdo, and Yeoju Regeneration Projects Selected and Announced in Special Competition

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] Dangerous buildings (safety grades D and E) located in Jinju, Gyeongnam (department store), Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk (public bus terminal), and Yeoju, Gyeonggi (citizens' hall) are planned to be fully renovated into essential local living SOC through urban regeneration projects.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 15th that it held the 26th Urban Regeneration Special Committee meeting and selected three projects, including Jinju, Gyeongnam, as "dangerous building regeneration projects."

So far, the Ministry of Land has been discovering projects through a special public contest from December last year to February this year to quickly renovate dangerous and long-neglected buildings in urban areas that threaten residents' safety. The three selected sites will receive up to 5 billion KRW in national funding through the urban regeneration certified project method.

Current Status of the Former Yeongnam Department Store.

The urban regeneration project in Jinju, Gyeongnam, involves demolishing the old Yeongnam Department Store building (safety grade D), which has been abandoned for 30 years, and transforming it into a key child welfare center for Jinju City. The site covers 5,960㎡ with a total project cost of 19.81 billion KRW (5 billion KRW national funding, 14.81 billion KRW local funding).

The old Yeongnam Department Store ceased operations in 1992 due to bankruptcy and was left abandoned. In particular, it suffered a major fire in 2019, becoming an irreparable local nuisance. Especially last year, when typhoons were severe, glass shards from windows broken by the fire were blown around by rain and wind, causing serious safety risks and inconvenience to nearby residents, leading to increased demands for active response. However, due to complex interests among numerous owners (127 people), private self-renovation became practically impossible, and Jinju City will purchase and demolish the building through this urban regeneration project.

Jinju City plans to utilize the location advantage, which includes two elementary schools and youth welfare facilities, to create childcare and play spaces for infants and children, as well as community spaces for nearby residents. Currently, most owners have agreed to the project (91% as of April), with completion scheduled for the end of 2023 and operation starting in 2024.

Status of Cheongdo Intercity Bus Terminal.

The urban regeneration project in Cheongdo County, Gyeongbuk, involves rebuilding the old public bus terminal (safety grade D), completed in 1972, into a living SOC facility with various resident communication spaces and a public parking lot. The site covers 8,300㎡ with a total project cost of 21 billion KRW (5 billion KRW national funding, 16 billion KRW local funding).

The Cheongdo Bus Terminal, located between Cheongdo Station and Cheongdo Market, has served as a key transfer facility for residents for 50 years but has gradually lost vitality due to the decline of the old downtown and aging facilities. It consists of six buildings over three floors (site area 3,586㎡) and has been used as a bus stop (platform, waiting room), office, restaurant, lounge, Korean medicine clinic, and warehouse.

Cheongdo County plans to create much-needed resident communication spaces, living sports facilities, and a public parking lot (185 spaces), while maintaining the existing bus transfer function. The first floor will be offered as a win-win cooperative shopping area for local merchants with affordable (about 80% of market price) and long-term (8 to 10 years or more) leases. Tenant compensation has been completed, and basic and detailed designs will be finalized within this year, with construction starting early next year and completion and operation beginning at the end of 2023.

Status of Yeoju Civic Center.

The urban regeneration project in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, involves green remodeling the citizens' hall built in 1985 (safety grade D) and expanding living SOC facilities to transform it into the "Citizen Aol Center." The site covers 2,912㎡ with a total project cost of 10 billion KRW (5 billion KRW national funding, 5 billion KRW local funding).

The Yeoju Citizens' Hall, located in the city center with excellent public transportation access, has served as a cultural and leisure hub for Yeoju citizens but has been barely used since 2019 due to aging and other issues.

Yeoju City plans to green remodel the entire citizens' hall and create community facilities and youth activity spaces in the front open area of the hall, rebirth as a complex cultural and artistic hub, and revitalize the old downtown, which is experiencing accelerated population outflow and decline. The Citizen Aol Center is scheduled to begin remodeling early next year and start operation in the first half of 2023. Yeoju City also plans to operate resident councils and urban regeneration universities for urban regeneration.

The Ministry of Land plans to prioritize dangerous building regeneration projects when selecting new urban regeneration projects in the future and actively promote them by including them in other types of urban regeneration projects beyond urban regeneration certified projects.

Moon Sung-yo, head of the Ministry of Land's Urban Regeneration Project Planning Division, said, "We will work closely with local governments to carry out the selected dangerous building regeneration projects in a solid manner."

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