Seoul City Increases Floor Area Ratio by 1.2 Times for General Hospitals Expanding Public Medical Facilities

Starting with Konkuk University Medical Center, Ewha Mokdong Hospital, and Yangji Hospital
Increasing floor area ratio where expansion is impossible due to full capacity, securing half for public medical infrastructure

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to officially begin urban planning support that relaxes floor area ratio (FAR) up to 1.2 times for private general hospitals that expand by incorporating public medical functions such as infectious disease management facilities.

On the 5th, Seoul announced that it will implement the "Establishment and Operation Standards for District Unit Plans of General Medical Facilities" starting from the 6th, based on this policy. After announcing the support plan in February and revising related ordinances in July to establish a legal basis, detailed guidelines have now been prepared.

Most general hospitals in Seoul were built in the 1970s and 1980s. Since they were constructed under regulations allowing high FAR at the time, many hospitals have already reached their maximum FAR and cannot expand even if they want to. Among a total of 56 hospitals, 21 have insufficient FAR.

The core of this measure is to grant additional FAR to general hospitals facing such difficulties, with half of the relaxed FAR to be secured for public medical facilities that are lacking, such as dedicated infectious disease beds and intensive care units. The goal is to address the shortage of public medical services, which cannot be solved by building public hospitals alone, through coexistence with private hospitals that account for more than 80% of general hospitals in Seoul.

The city specifically stated that negative pressure isolation beds must be secured as a top priority to ensure the purpose of the system is properly achieved. Additionally, among public medical facilities, "infectious disease management facilities" are to be used as routine isolation and treatment facilities during normal times and quickly converted into emergency medical systems during pandemics like COVID-19. Administrative functions such as control towers necessary in crises will also be secured.

Three general hospitals?Konkuk University Medical Center, Ewha Mokdong Hospital, and Yangji Hospital?have decided to actively proceed with expansions in accordance with the revised standards.

Since this measure is a new attempt never made before, the city plans to directly initiate and promptly support the procedures. When general hospitals establish detailed plans for expanding medical facilities and propose them to the city, the city will conduct pre-consultations to coordinate with the hospitals in advance. Afterwards, the area will be designated as an urban planning facility, and the FAR and land use plans will be announced as district unit plans for management.

If all 21 hospitals with insufficient FAR expand using this method, facilities such as negative pressure isolation rooms, intensive care beds, and emergency medical centers are expected to increase by 2 to 3 times compared to now. The total area of secured public medical facilities will reach approximately 98,000 square meters. A Seoul city official said, "This is equivalent to the effect of building two new general hospitals."

Jo Namjun, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Planning Bureau, said, "In crisis situations like COVID-19, the active participation of private general hospitals, which make up the majority of Seoul’s medical infrastructure, is essential. By fully supporting the expansion of general hospitals through urban planning, we will expand public medical infrastructure to prepare for unpredictable crisis situations."

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