Aftermath from Gwacheon... Wavering Expansion of Idle Land Supply

Withdrawal of Housing Supply Due to Resident Opposition Sparks Public Opinion Rally in Taereung
Local Government Resistance Also Arises at Yongsan Camp Kim and Western Driver's License Test Center

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim On-yu] The backlash following the government's withdrawal of the housing supply plan at the Gwacheon Government Complex is intensifying. As the policy reversal sets a precedent, the development of other idle sites facing strong resident opposition, such as the Taereung Golf Course in Nowon-gu, is also at risk of being derailed. Concerns are being raised that if the supply plans falter, stabilizing housing prices may become even more difficult.

According to the real estate industry on the 9th, since the government withdrew its previous plan on the 4th to build 4,000 housing units on idle land at the Gwacheon Government Complex, resident opposition at other planned urban housing supply sites has intensified. Witnessing the case of "retreating when opposed" has energized the consolidation of public opinion among residents.

In particular, voices opposing the development of the Taereung Golf Course (10,000 housing units) are growing louder. The residents' group "Citizens Protecting Green Taereung" plans to hold a rally in front of Lotte Department Store Nowon Branch on the 12th and collect signatures for a recall of Oh Seung-rok, the mayor of Nowon-gu. Previously, citizens of Gwacheon also pushed for a recall vote of Mayor Kim Jong-cheon to enforce opposition to the Gwacheon Government Complex plan, which ultimately led to the government's change of the target site. A resident of Nowon-gu opposing the Taereung Golf Course development said, "6,6000 signatures are needed for the recall," adding, "Since the withdrawal of the Gwacheon plan, the number of people expressing opposition through KakaoTalk and various SNS has surged."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It has also been confirmed that Seoul City sent an official letter to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last month stating that the development of the Taereung Golf Course through Greenbelt deregulation is inappropriate, which seems to be strengthening public opinion among residents. This was also a campaign pledge of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon during his candidacy.

Additionally, there is strong local government opposition to sites such as the Mapo-gu Western Driver's License Test Center (3,500 housing units), Yongsan-gu Yongsan Camp Kim (3,100 housing units), and Seocho-gu Seoul Regional Public Procurement Service (1,000 housing units). In the case of the Western Driver's License Test Center, which is city-owned land, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) considered supplying housing by exchanging it for Korean Air's Songhyeon-dong site, but discussions have been halted due to opposition from Mapo-gu. Recently, Yongsan-gu Office designated the Yongsan Camp Kim site as a general commercial area by announcing a change to the district unit plan related to Yongsan, leading to criticism that it conflicts with the government's housing supply measures.

Originally, the supply of idle urban sites has been criticized as a "number-matching" policy that did not consider the opinions of local governments and residents. It is said that a policy was announced for immediate housing price stabilization without considering the aftermath. A real estate expert who requested anonymity said, "If development is necessary, measures to alleviate resident dissatisfaction should be presented, but trust has plummeted as the policy was reversed simply because residents opposed it," adding, "If the domino effect of resident opposition continues, stabilizing housing prices will also become difficult."

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