Yongsan-gu Itaewon-dong UN Command Site Complex Development 'Starts'

[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu to Develop 10 Buildings Including ▲420 Apartment Units ▲726 Officetel Rooms ▲Hotel on 51,753㎡ UN Command Site in Itaewon-dong; Complex Facility Zone in Yongsan Park Maintenance Area Expected to Become Yongsan Landmark Linked to Itaewon Commercial Area, Future Yongsan Park, and Hannam New Town

Bird's-eye view rendering

UN Command Site Complex Development Project Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu, located between Namsan and the Han River, has been used as a foreign military base in the heart of the city for over 100 years due to its excellent baesanimsu (mountain at the back, water in front) geographical advantage. Ironically, this has left large undeveloped sites scattered throughout the city.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) has approved the development plan for the UN Command site complex development project, accelerating urban development.

This site, located east of the Yongsan US military base, connects the Itaewon commercial district with the future Yongsan Park and is adjacent to the Hannam New Town development site.

The project area covers 51,753㎡, with a total floor area of 484,62.64㎡ excluding public supply areas such as parks, green spaces, and roads. Applying a building coverage ratio of 57.79% and a floor area ratio of 599.98%, ten buildings ranging from 7 basement levels to 15-20 floors above ground will be constructed. The main uses include multi-family housing (420 units), officetels (726 units), hotels, office, and retail facilities.

The sizes of the multi-family housing units are 170㎡, 200㎡, 220㎡, and 240㎡.

The project has completed reviews by the Seoul City Urban and Architectural Joint Committee, detailed development planning, traffic impact assessment, underground safety impact assessment, architectural plan review, environmental impact assessment, and educational environment impact assessment. Construction is scheduled to begin this November.

The development of the UN Command site began in April 2003 when the government agreed with the US military on relocating the Yongsan US military base to Pyeongtaek and decided to create Yongsan Park on this site. To secure funding for the base relocation and park creation, three scattered sites around the Yongsan Park complex facility zone, including the UN Command site, Camp Kim, and the transportation unit, were planned to be sold to the private sector.

The development of the UN Command site, returned to the Ministry of National Defense in 2006, was the first to be promoted. In May 2011, the Yongsan site and Yongsan Park maintenance zone were designated, and in December 2012, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) was appointed as the project implementer for the UN Command site land development project. In April 2015, the complex facility development plan for the UN Command site was approved, and in July 2017, Eleven Construction purchased the land from LH for 1.0552 trillion KRW. In February of this year, Hyundai Construction was selected as the contractor.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Following last month’s announcement of the Yongsan Maintenance Depot site development plan, the development clock of Yongsan-gu is speeding up. To enhance the brand value of the premium city Yongsan, we will focus all administrative power to ensure that not only the UN Command site but also redevelopment and reconstruction projects within the area proceed swiftly.”

Yongsan-gu expects that with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s announcement on the 26th of last month to develop the Yongsan Maintenance Depot site into an Asian Silicon Valley, the western part of the city will strengthen its function as a business district, while the eastern part will enhance its role as a residential area. In particular, large-scale development projects such as the UN Command site development and Hannam New Town redevelopment are progressing sequentially in the east.

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