Dense Seedlings and New Vinyl Greenhouses Everywhere... "Signs of Speculation in the 3rd Residential Land"

3rd New Housing Sites at Sindosi-Level Uiwang, Gunpo, Ansan, and Hwaseong Jinan
Residents "Even though it's Greenbelt, recently outsiders flock to 'buy land'"
However, expectations for new towns... "We were neglected in development, so the welcoming atmosphere"

Saplings presumed to be Hinoki cypress are densely planted in the rice fields and farmlands around Chopyeong-dong, Uiwang.

"Originally, there were only three or four vinyl greenhouses, but now there are about 100. They have been built since last year. They are even planting saplings." (Representative of A Real Estate Agency, Uiwang, Chopyeong-dong)

On the afternoon of the 30th, the reporter visited the greenbelt area in Chopyeong-dong, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, where clean vinyl greenhouses that looked newly built were visible everywhere at a glance. In the fields in this area, saplings presumed to be cypress trees were densely planted at narrow intervals of 30 to 40 cm.

This area is included in the Uiwang-Gunpo-Ansan district (hereinafter referred to as U-G-A district), which the government confirmed as the third new public housing site on the same day. The U-G-A district is a new town-scale housing site covering 5.86 million square meters in the areas of Chopyeong, Wolam, and Samdong in Uiwang-si; Domagyo, Bugok, and Daeyami-dong in Gunpo-si; and Geongeon and Sasa-dong in Ansan-si, where a total of 41,000 households will be built.

◇New vinyl greenhouses and saplings... signs of speculation everywhere= Mr. A, who has been running a real estate agency in Chopyeong-dong, Uiwang for 10 years, mentioned the land speculation controversy involving employees of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in the Gwangmyeong-Siheung district that surfaced earlier this year, saying similar incidents have occurred in this area as well. He explained, "Land transactions have been most active in the last one to two years," adding, "More than 100 plots were traded during this period." Pointing to the newly built vinyl greenhouses and freshly planted saplings, he questioned, "If this is not speculation, then what is?"

According to local real estate agents, densely planting saplings in the middle of farmland is a typical speculation tactic. By planting trees, one can receive compensation not only for land acquisition during housing development but also for relocation costs separately.

The greenbelt area in nearby Bugok-dong, Uiwang, showed a similar situation. The representative of B Real Estate in Bugok-dong said, "Since last year, there have been many inquiries from outsiders and many transactions have taken place." He added, "Even though I told them that houses cannot be built because it is a greenbelt, there were outsiders who wanted to buy land, which made me feel puzzled."

A real estate official in Chopyeong-dong, Uiwang City, said, "Many new vinyl greenhouses have been built in the past 1 to 2 years." The photo shows vinyl greenhouses built around Chopyeong-dong.

◇Welcoming atmosphere amid development expectations= Despite these signs of speculation, residents have considerable expectations for development. Mr. C, who lives in Wolam-dong, Uiwang-si, said, "This area has a small population and too many greenbelt zones, so it is a backward region," and predicted, "Because of the high expectations for development, residents will not strongly oppose it like in Gwacheon or Taereung Golf Course." He added, "If compensation is properly handled, land acquisition should not take too long."

Residents in the Jinan district of Hwaseong feel similarly. The Hwaseong Jinan district is a housing site covering 4.52 million square meters in Jinan, Banjeong, Banwol, and Gisan-dong, Hwaseong-si. It is the second-largest new town-scale district among the third public housing sites announced by the government, following the U-G-A district. Although Dongtan 1 New Town borders the southeast of the district, most of the area is still used as absolute farmland without development.

Mr. Park, a resident of Jinan-dong, said, "There were no rumors about development before, so I was surprised to hear that a new town would be built suddenly," and added, "Still, since the farmland is the only place where development is possible in this area, most residents welcome it."

Resident Mr. Choi also said, "The Jinan-dong area has been left out of development, with even village buses barely available," and expressed optimism, "With a new town right next door becoming a central area, we expect to enjoy various transportation and cultural facilities."

Local real estate agencies were busy with investment inquiry calls. The representative of C Real Estate in Gisan-dong explained, "Since the new town announcement, calls asking about the possibility of land transactions have been pouring in," adding, "Because there is a Samsung Electronics factory nearby, the atmosphere is positive, viewing the new town development as a boon."

A panoramic view of Jinan-dong area in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 30th that a new town-scale residential site will be developed in this area.

◇Hwaseong Jinan: concerns over suitability due to many nearby undesirable facilities= On the other hand, concerns have been raised about the suitability of the new town location in the Jinan district due to the concentration of undesirable facilities such as sewage treatment plants and military airports nearby. Upon visiting the site, the Suwon Sewage Treatment Plant, which houses the Suwon Sludge Facility, was found to be less than 2 km from the planned district. Residents testified that foul odors spread not only in Songsan-dong, where the facility is located, but also in nearby Jinan and Byeongjeom-dong, as well as Banwol-dong and Mangpo-dong in Suwon, which are 4 to 5 km away.

Noise issues also remain a challenge. The Jinan and Byeongjeom-dong areas suffer from noise pollution due to the nearby Suwon Military Airport. During the reporter's on-site coverage, military fighter jets were seen roaring overhead. A representative of D Real Estate in Banjeong-dong expressed concern, saying, "The residential environment in this area has greatly deteriorated due to odors and noise," and added, "Even if a new town is built, I am not sure how many people would be willing to move in."

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