Population of 47.57 Million Resides in Urban Areas Covering 16.7% of National Land Area

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and LH Announce Urban Planning Status Statistics

(Data provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) announced on the 29th the urban planning status statistics containing data on urban area population and area, land use zones, districts, zones, and urban and county planning facilities as of 2020.

The area of land designated as land use zones is 106,205 km², of which urban areas (residential, commercial, industrial, and green areas) account for 17,769 km², approximately 16.7% of the total area. Among the total registered population of 51.83 million, 47.57 million people (91.7%) were found to reside in urban areas.

Outside urban areas, the managed areas cover 27,310 km² (25.7%), agricultural and forest areas 49,256 km² (46.4%), and natural environment conservation areas 11,870 km² (11.2%), making the total area 106,205 km².

Urban areas are divided into residential areas 2,713 km² (15.3%), commercial areas 338 km² (1.9%), industrial areas 1,222 km² (6.9%), green areas 12,623 km² (71.0%), and undesignated areas 873 km² (4.9%).

Compared to 2019, residential areas (12.7 km²), industrial areas (3.5 km²), and commercial areas (0.2 km²) in urban areas increased, while green areas decreased by 9.4 km².

In non-urban areas, managed areas increased by 49.4 km², whereas agricultural and forest areas decreased by 45.2 km², and natural environment conservation areas decreased by 15.7 km². These changes are believed to be due to adjustments in urban and county management plans.

Development permits totaled 249,327 cases, a 4.5% decrease compared to 2019. 'Building construction' accounted for 153,511 cases (61.6%), followed by 'landform changes' with 60,288 cases (24.2%).

By province, Gyeonggi-do had the highest number of development permits with 60,099 cases (241.6 km²), and among cities, counties, and districts, Hwaseong-si had 10,038 cases (37.0 km²), followed by Yangpyeong-gun with 5,869 cases (12.9 km²).

The area designated for urban and county planning facilities totaled 6,736.7 km², a 4.2% decrease compared to 2019. Transportation facilities (2,252.1 km²) were the largest, followed by disaster prevention facilities (1,895.6 km²), spatial facilities (1,198.2 km²), and public cultural and sports facilities (987.0 km²).

The annual urban planning status statistics are used as a basis for urban policy and planning formulation as well as local government grant calculations. Detailed data can be accessed through the Land Use Regulation Information System or e-Nara Indicators.

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