Won Hee-ryong Found in Bundang: "Easing Height Restrictions, Discussing with the Ministry of National Defense on Behalf of Residents"

Holding Bundang Residents Meeting... Aiming for a 'Future City'
Special Act on Aging Planned Cities to be Reviewed at the National Assembly on the 10th
"Special Act Applies to Detached Houses... Transforming into a Transportation Hub"

On the 7th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated regarding the residents of Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province's demand for easing height restrictions, "I will persuade the Ministry of National Defense from the residents' perspective during discussions." Additionally, as concerns were repeatedly raised that detached houses were excluded from the scope of the 'Special Act on the Maintenance and Support of Aging Planned Cities' (hereinafter referred to as the Special Act), he decided to explicitly include this content in the Special Act to avoid misunderstandings.

On the afternoon of the 7th, the 'Meeting between Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Residents of Bundang 1st New Town' is taking place in the main conference room of Bundang-gu Office, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province.
[Photo by Noh Kyung-jo]

Minister Won said at a residents' meeting held in the large conference room of Bundang-gu Office that afternoon, "I will think about how the city moves toward the future and support it as much as possible if there are no major problems."

Bundang, representing the first-generation new towns, currently has 21 apartment and villa villages with 131 complexes, and 9 detached house areas subject to master plan establishment. The average floor area ratio is about 184%, and the green space ratio is about 21%, with an overall assessment of infrastructure related to density planning underway.

On this day, residents expressed pride in living in Bundang and collectively hoped that the city would have the stature of a new town that could be proudly presented to the world, beyond merely rebuilding apartments. In this process, they demanded easing height restrictions and applying the Special Act to detached houses as well.

It is reported that currently, 27 complexes with about 10,000 households in Yatap and Imae-dong, Bundang-gu, are subject to height restrictions due to Seoul Airport. The Special Act allows a floor area ratio of 300%, and up to 500% in station areas, but these regions are forcibly excluded due to height restrictions. Shin Sang-jin, Mayor of Seongnam City, emphasized, "In Pangyo as well, buildings over 15 floors do not go up," adding, "Height restrictions fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defense, but it is also an issue for Bundang, a first-generation new town."

In response, Minister Won said, "The height restriction standards have been gradually eased," and added, "When discussing with the Ministry of National Defense, I will persuasively reflect the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards."

Residents' complaints that the Special Act benefits only apartments also continued. The Bundang Detached House Association requested, "Please prepare applicable and enforceable legal provisions related to detached houses in the Special Act."

Minister Won responded, "I have submitted a legislative bill including detached houses, and I will clarify this through the articles." Moon Sung-yo, Director of the Land and Urban Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who was also present at the meeting, added, "The Special Act applies to sites over 1 million square meters that are more than 20 years old," and "When Seongnam City establishes the basic plan, it will include not only apartments but also detached houses." The Special Act is scheduled to be reviewed at the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's bill review subcommittee on the 10th.

Additionally, there was a proposal to make the area around Dongcheon Station on the Shinbundang Line and Ori Station on the Suin-Bundang Line a transportation hub. The distance between the stations is only 500 meters, and the Bundang-Suseo urban expressway, Daewang Pangyo Road, and Seongnam-daero also pass through this area. Lee Han-jun, President of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), said, "Since Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is also under development, we will consider making it a hub to enable smooth metropolitan movement."

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