Yoon Officializes Yongsan Presidential Era... Will Development Near Cheongwadae Be Revitalized?

On the 20th, Yoon stated, "I will relocate the Blue House office to Yongsan"
Some suggest rapid development potential in Seochon and Bukchon
Designated as Hanok preservation and maximum height zones, lowering feasibility

On the 20th, President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol officially announced the relocation of the office to Yongsan, raising the possibility of development in the area near the Blue House. However, due to reasons such as hanok preservation and environmental protection, the likelihood of rapid development appears low.
Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] On the 20th, as President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol officially announced plans to relocate the Blue House office to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building, expectations have been rising in the areas near the Blue House. This is due to speculation that regulations in areas such as Seochon and Bukchon, where development had been restricted, might be eased. However, regardless of the presence of the Blue House, building height restrictions remain in place in these zones for reasons such as hanok preservation and environmental protection, making it unlikely that the relocation will lead to significant development.

First, the areas near the Blue House, including Cheongunhyoja-dong and Samcheong-dong in Jongno-gu, Seoul, have been designated as hanok preservation zones since June 1, 2016. Hanok preservation zones are areas within hanok-dense districts where only hanok construction is permitted through district unit plans, or surrounding areas subject to height and other regulations to maintain the hanok village landscape. The Bukchon area, covering 409,090㎡, and the west side of Gyeongbokgung (Seochon) area, covering 96,481㎡, are included in these zones.

Hanok preservation zones are designated and announced by the Mayor of Seoul after consultation with the Hanok Committee, according to the revised “Seoul Metropolitan Government Ordinance on Hanok Preservation and Promotion” enacted in March 2016. Areas designated as hanok preservation zones include ▲Bukchon in Jongno-gu, ▲West side of Gyeongbokgung in Jongno-gu, ▲Donhwamun-ro in Jongno-gu, ▲Insadong in Jongno-gu, and ▲Seonjam Complex in Seongbuk-gu.

Moreover, these areas have been designated as maximum height districts since 1977 to protect cultural assets and the landscape of Inwangsan Mountain. The area around Gyeongbokgung, covering 1,189,800㎡, allows only buildings with heights of 15 to 20 meters or less. Other maximum height districts include ▲areas around Namsan (Jung-gu and Yongsan-gu), ▲Bukhansan (Gangbuk-gu and Dobong-gu), ▲court complexes in Seocho-dong, ▲areas in Jongno-gu (such as Gugi-dong and Pyeongchang-dong), and ▲areas around Gyeongbokgung (Cheongunhyoja-dong and Samcheong-dong in Jongno-gu).

If the designations of hanok preservation zones and maximum height districts are not lifted, it is unlikely that the areas near the Blue House will see groundbreaking development even if the office relocates to Yongsan.

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