Jungnang-gu Accelerates Housing Development and New Housing Supply

[Seoul District News] Jungnang-gu Establishes Dedicated Department 'Housing Development Division' for Organic Response to Government and Seoul Housing Supply Activation Plans... Eunpyeong-gu Strengthens Resident Communication with This Year's Comprehensive Apartment Management Plan... Gwangjin-gu Opens 2022 Real Estate Official Price (Draft) Inspection and Opinion Submission... Yangcheon-gu Opens Senior Job Space Cafe 'Masil Dasil The Flower Branch'... Yeongdeungpo-gu Operates Village After-School Program 'n Lives - n Schools'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) established a new department dedicated to housing development, the ‘Housing Development Division,’ this year. The division will be responsible for improving residents’ living environments and expanding housing supply through tailored project implementation.

To establish the division, the district first consolidated housing development-related tasks that were previously scattered across the Urban Planning Division and Housing Division into the Housing Development Division to build an integrated project system.

The division consists of three teams: Housing Policy Team, Public Housing Team, and Small-scale Housing Team. It handles tasks such as public redevelopment and reconstruction, private redevelopment projects (rapid integrated planning), urban public housing complex projects, and small-scale housing maintenance projects.

The goal is to provide rapid and extensive housing supply by promoting customized housing development projects suited to the district’s circumstances.

The division will engage not only in large-scale redevelopment and reconstruction projects but also in small-scale housing maintenance and management projects to renovate aging housing blocks in low-rise residential areas where large-scale development is difficult. Along with housing maintenance, infrastructure and living SOC (social overhead capital) will also be developed.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “Through the establishment of the Housing Development Division, we will respond quickly and organically to central government and Seoul city housing policies,” adding, “We will work harder to stabilize residents’ housing and improve the environment through customized housing development projects tailored to local conditions.”

The district is currently promoting public redevelopment projects in the Junghwa-dong area, public reconstruction projects in Mangwoo 1 District, and urban public housing complex projects around Jungnang, Sagajeong, Yongmasan, and Sangbong Station areas. It is also focusing on attracting new projects to increase housing supply.

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) has established a ‘Comprehensive Plan for Apartment Management’ this year to actively foster a culture of communal living in apartment complexes.

The main contents of this year’s comprehensive plan include four areas: ▲Creating a pleasant and safe residential environment ▲Establishing a vibrant community culture ▲Making conflict-free clean apartments ▲Strengthening support for apartment complexes, with 22 specific projects planned to support and manage apartment complexes.

The comprehensive plan is the result of Eunpyeong-gu’s ongoing efforts to enhance communication among apartment residents and minimize conflicts.

Last year’s ‘Apartment Residents Communication Day’ received great responses from residents. The district received 145 complaints and suggestions from residents of about 12,584 households across 13 complexes.

The mayor personally visited apartment complexes to listen to residents’ opinions on-site and proposed solutions. Since the relevant departments reviewed residents’ suggestions in advance from multiple perspectives, solutions could be shared and communicated with residents during the visits.

Major suggestions from residents included installing crime prevention CCTV, setting up wildlife capture traps for resident safety, maintaining fire prevention fire lanes, and improving safety facilities on school routes. A district official explained, “Visiting apartment complexes led to active and prompt resolution and prevention of complaints, as well as improved administrative trust.”

This year, the district plans to actively reflect on-site voices to improve institutional operations and expand support for the ‘Apartment Common Facilities Maintenance Project’ and the ‘Apartment Workers’ Working Environment Improvement Project’ to improve aging apartment environments and working conditions.

The ‘Common Facilities Maintenance Support Project’ will invest 300 million KRW, an increase of about 200 million KRW from last year. The maximum support per complex will also increase from 5 million KRW to 10 million KRW, and 100 million KRW will be allocated to improve workers’ working environments.

The district will also promote projects to revitalize apartment communities. The ‘Apartment Idle Space Discovery and Recreation Project’ is a new initiative supporting remodeling of idle spaces within apartment complexes into shared spaces for residents, expected to greatly enhance communication and community activation among residents.

The ‘Ice Pack Reuse Challenge Project’ is a senior job project that recycles ice packs by delivering them to traditional markets and other participating stores. Last year, a total of 30,027 ice packs were recycled. This year, the district plans to recruit new participating complexes and install additional collection boxes.

The district also promotes projects to create conflict-free clean apartments. It operates the ‘Apartment Management Status Inspection and Expert Advisory Support,’ ‘Apartment Management Corruption Preemptive Response System Monitoring,’ and the ‘Apartment Dispute Mediation Committee.’

Additionally, the district has enacted and implemented an apartment audit ordinance and runs visiting ‘Apartment Consulting and Complaint Counseling’ services, as well as a ‘Pre-inspection Service for Project Entities and Management Agencies’ for newly occupied apartment complexes. The plan is to strengthen apartment management and supervision functions.

A district official said, “We will continue to expand customized management support needed for apartment complexes,” adding, “We will do our best to foster a cooperative apartment culture that strengthens communication among residents and reduces conflicts.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) will conduct public viewing and accept opinions on the apartment prices, individual house prices, and individual publicly announced land prices calculated as of January 1 this year from March 22 to April 11.

The real estate official prices (draft) can be viewed online on the Real Estate Official Price Informer website, the Ilsapyeonri Seoul Real Estate Information Inquiry System website, and the Gwangjin-gu Office website. They can also be viewed in person at Gwangjin-gu Office or the community service centers where the real estate is located.

Real estate owners and other interested parties who have opinions can submit them via the internet homepage or submit opinion forms and consent forms for personal information collection and use available during in-person viewing within the viewing period.

Submitted opinions will be reviewed for real estate characteristics and deliberated by the Real Estate Price Public Announcement Committee, with individual notifications sent to submitters. The real estate official prices will be finalized and announced on April 29. However, apartment prices will be handled by the Korea Real Estate Board, the competent authority.

For detailed inquiries, contact ▲Apartment Prices: Korea Real Estate Board ▲Individual House Prices: Gwangjin-gu Office Tax Division 1 ▲Individual Publicly Announced Land Prices: Gwangjin-gu Office Real Estate Information Division.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Real estate official prices are closely related to residents’ financial burdens such as property tax and health insurance premiums,” adding, “We hope residents check through various channels within the period and actively submit opinions if any.”

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) announced that on the 17th it opened a senior job space caf? called ‘Masil Dasil The Flower Branch’ on the first floor of Galsan Culture and Arts Center.

‘Masil Dasil The Flower Branch,’ operated by the Yangcheon Senior Club, a dedicated senior job agency, was created to provide employment opportunities for silver baristas and to offer a cozy resting space for local residents in their daily lives.

The caf? displays and sells dried flowers and mini potted plants, and sells freshly brewed coffee made by seniors, as well as handmade desserts such as sandwiches and madeleines.

The district expects that the caf?, where silver baristas are active, will create quality jobs that meet the expectations of senior job seekers.

In line with the purpose of establishing the Galsan Culture and Arts Center, a representative cultural space in the area, the caf? plans to provide high-quality service combining premium coffee beans, fresh ingredients for handmade desserts, and beautiful flowers to comfort residents weary from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Through Masil Dasil The Flower Branch, a senior job space, we expect to contribute greatly to creating senior jobs and improving satisfaction among visitors to the Galsan Culture and Arts Center with high-quality service,” adding, “Yangcheon-gu will continue to enhance seniors’ quality of life and expand social participation opportunities through various senior projects befitting its title as an age-friendly city.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced that it is recruiting participants until March 31 for the Yeongdeungpo-style village-linked after-school education program ‘n Lives - n Schools,’ which supports after-school activities for elementary and middle school students using local hub spaces.

‘n Lives - n Schools’ is one of the main projects of the Yeongdeungpo Innovation Education District, linking local village communities, organizations, and art workshops to provide students with cultural and artistic activities that offer rest and learning.

Now in its seventh year, the program aligns with the district’s operational vision of ‘No child left behind, a village and school where everyone goes together.’ Last year alone, it operated 124 programs with 12,170 students participating, receiving great interest and support from parents and students.

This year, to offer more diverse and distinctive programs, the district secured 40 hub spaces by accepting applications from active village communities and art workshops in various cultural and artistic fields. A total of 61 courses will be offered, including ▲Basic Furniture Accessories ▲Art with Dreams ▲Flower Healing Camp ▲Picture Book Theater Play ▲Fun Fun Story Cooking ▲K-POP Dance Class.

Details on programs by space, target participants, recruitment numbers, and schedules can be found on the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office website and the Yeongdeungpo Innovation Education Support Center blog.

The courses are divided into two semesters: the first semester runs from April 11 to June 26, and the second semester from September 13 to November 28. To prevent COVID-19, each course will be limited to 4-5 students.

Elementary and middle school students residing in Yeongdeungpo-gu who wish to enroll can submit applications through the integrated reservation → online application on the Yeongdeungpo-gu website.

The first recruitment period is until March 23, and if enrollment is insufficient, a second recruitment will be held from March 28 to 31. Tuition is completely free.

Additionally, to ensure students can focus safely on their education, the district will strictly follow quarantine guidelines such as disinfecting spaces before and after classes, regular ventilation, and maintaining social distancing among participants.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “We hope this village after-school activity will provide various joys, learning, and a sense of accomplishment that are difficult to experience at school,” adding, “As the saying goes, ‘It takes a whole village to raise a child,’ we will work harder to create a sustainable village school community where every child can grow up healthily with the interest and love of the entire village.”

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