Maximum Greenbelt Release in Gyeonggi-do... Concerns Over 'Seoul City Bed Town'

Gyeonggi-do, Largest Greenbelt Release for 2 Consecutive Years
Growing Cities Prioritize Housing Supply Over Self-Sufficiency Functions

[Asia Economy Reporter Noh Kyung-jo] It has been revealed that last year, Gyeonggi-do lifted the development restriction on approximately 520,000㎡ of greenbelt areas to promote various development projects. This accounts for about 60% of the nationwide lifted area (874,909㎡), marking the largest scale for two consecutive years among the 17 metropolitan cities and provinces. Considering the nature of these projects, concerns are growing that Gyeonggi-do may be reduced to a bedroom community for Seoul.

Development Restriction Zone (Greenbelt) / Image Source=Yonhap News

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 17th, Gyeonggi-do lifted greenbelt restrictions on a total of 521,153㎡ in cities including Siheung, Gwacheon, Goyang, and Uijeongbu last year. By scale of lifted areas: ▲Siheung-si 124,686㎡ ▲Gwacheon-si 98,881㎡ ▲Goyang-si 80,615㎡ ▲Hanam-si 58,218㎡ ▲Yangju-si 57,865㎡ ▲Namyangju-si 34,978㎡ ▲Anyang-si 33,926㎡ ▲Uijeongbu-si 31,984㎡.

Siheung-si lifted greenbelt restrictions in Podong to build a comprehensive stadium, and Goyang-si did so in Jugyo-dong to construct a new city hall. Anyang-si aims to develop a public housing district in the Bisan-dong area. In Gwacheon-si, greenbelt lifting occurred in disconnected lands in Gwacheon-dong and Juam-dong.

Currently, Gyeonggi-do has 1,131,250,000㎡ designated as greenbelt, accounting for more than 11% of its administrative area. Since 2021, when 30,840,000㎡ were lifted for the creation of the 3rd new town, about 13% of the total designated area has been reduced.

Other regions where greenbelt was lifted last year include Gyeongnam (138,513㎡), Daegu (105,492㎡), Gwangju (57,577㎡), Daejeon (43,203㎡), and Ulsan (8,971㎡). Seoul had no greenbelt lifting.

Greenbelts have been lifted as needed over the past 50 years without new designations. Nationwide, greenbelt areas equivalent to 553 times the size of Yeouido (2,900,000㎡) have disappeared. While some were lifted for industrial complexes or cultural facilities, the majority were focused on housing supply. Consequently, criticism has arisen that greenbelts, originally intended to prevent disorderly urban expansion and preserve the natural environment, have become reserved lands for government policy projects.

This is especially true in Gyeonggi-do, where new towns are concentrated. Housing development projects under different names such as public housing and residential sites have continued. Public housing districts including lifted greenbelt areas notably include Wirye New Town and adjacent Seongnam Bokjeong 1, Ansan Singil 2 which is accepting large-scale land compensation applications, and the 3rd new towns designated as Goyang Changneung and Namyangju Wangsuk. The greenbelt lifting intensifies concerns that Gyeonggi-do may become a bedroom community for Seoul.

In this regard, the National Assembly Legislative Research Office pointed out in its report titled "Issues and Improvement Directions Related to Greenbelt Lifting," released in September last year, that "greenbelt lifting has continuously been utilized for national and regional projects due to relatively low land compensation costs," and emphasized that "the scope of lifting projects should be limited based on public interest criteria, and multifaceted measures should be prepared to minimize indiscriminate development and environmental damage."

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