[Interview] Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, "Nowon-gu Reconstruction and Redevelopment Take Flight"

100% Interest-Free Loan Pledge for Reconstruction Safety Inspection Cost Support Realized...Advance Support Including Guarantee Insurance Subscription Fees for Loan Amounts

Relaxation of Reconstruction Safety Inspection Standards, a Long-Standing Wish of Residents...Full Effort to Rapidly Promote Reconstruction in the Second Year of the 8th Elected Term

"Finally, we have gained momentum for the rapid promotion of reconstruction and redevelopment. Please pay attention to the changing skyline of Nowon in the future."

Nowon District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said this as his opening remark, emphasizing that the efforts over the past year have yielded results in reconstruction.

Nowon District once had a population exceeding 640,000 but is now on the verge of falling below 500,000. While residents are rapidly moving to nearby new towns, the district sees poor living conditions caused by aging pipes leading to rust water, noise between floors, and parking wars as the main reasons. This is why Mayor Oh Seung-rok regards redevelopment and reconstruction as "a matter of survival, not a choice."

Nowon is a bedroom community developed through large-scale land development in the late 1980s and has the highest number of apartments over 30 years old among Seoul’s autonomous districts. As of 2023, 55 complexes fall under this category, housing approximately 74,000 households and about 170,000 residents, accounting for about one-third of Nowon’s population. Mayor Oh said, "Nowon is made up of 80% apartments. The number of aging apartments continues to increase over time. The survival of the city called Nowon depends on the rapid reconstruction and redevelopment."

Mayor Oh Seung-rok successfully secured support for reconstruction safety inspection costs, a core pledge of the 8th elected term. The amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban and Residential Environment Maintenance Ordinance, which allows autonomous districts to initially support and then recover safety inspection costs, was passed. On the 5th, Seoul City issued the 'Guidelines for Handling Reconstruction Safety Inspection Cost Support.' Mayor Oh said, "The ordinance amendment was at risk of failing, but we delivered a petition signed by about 70,000 residents urging Seoul City and the City Council to revise the ordinance." He added, "It was like grasping at straws, but the signature campaign played a decisive role in passing the ordinance."

It is expected that complexes struggling to secure safety inspection costs, which can amount to hundreds of millions of won, will receive support, accelerating rapid reconstruction. Additionally, advance support has been extended to cover guarantee insurance subscription fees for safety inspection loan amounts. Mayor Oh explained, "The original Seoul City guidelines stipulated that 90% of the safety inspection costs would be provided as interest-bearing loans with the base interest rate applied, requiring collateral (or joint liability) bonds. In response, the district proposed actively expanding support to 100% of inspection costs with interest-free loans and unconditional support (no joint liability required), while suggesting alternatives such as guarantee insurance if bond security is necessary."

Seoul City also reflected most of the district’s opinions in line with the ordinance amendment’s purpose to support rapid reconstruction, allowing autonomous districts to autonomously handle loan limits, interest rates, and advance payment of guarantee insurance fees. Mayor Oh said, "Until now, the safety inspection threshold in Nowon was high, and every complex attempting reconstruction failed to pass the safety inspection standards due to structural safety reasons." He emphasized, "Thanks to the relaxation of reconstruction safety inspection standards by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last December, the 100% interest-free loan for safety inspection costs has come into effect."

The relaxation of reconstruction safety inspection standards, the biggest obstacle to reconstruction, has been an issue Mayor Oh has repeatedly proposed to the government since the 7th elected term. By lowering the weight of structural safety and increasing the weight of residential environment factors such as parking spaces and facility aging, 11 complexes that could not pass under the previous standards have now passed the safety inspection. In particular, Taereung Woosung Apartment, which once failed under the previous standards, received a reconstruction judgment after the regulation was relaxed and is accelerating preparations for the maintenance plan. Currently, four additional complexes are pursuing reconstruction safety inspections, and 27 complexes that have completed on-site investigations are preparing for safety inspections. Mayor Oh explained, "To quickly respond to the changing reconstruction situation, we launched the nation’s first public-private council, the 'Nowon Reconstruction and Redevelopment Rapid Promotion Team,' in September last year and established a rapid promotion TF team, completing the support system."

The district is communicating with residents and consulting with related experts through joint housing reconstruction support plan establishment services, subcommittee meetings, customized consulting, and counseling center operations, striving for rapid reconstruction promotion. Due to these continuous efforts, recent completions include Sanggye 4 District (Central Prugio), Sanggye Jugong 8 Complex (Hanwha Forena Nowon), Taereung Hyundai (Hyosung Harrington Place), and Sanggye 6 District (Lotte Castle) in June this year. Wolgye Dongshin Apartment is scheduled for management disposition plan approval this year, and the Wolgye disaster management zone is planned to start construction in the second half of this year. Although Sanggye 1 and 2 Districts in the Sanggye 3.4-dong redevelopment promotion project have been somewhat delayed, they are preparing to apply for management disposition plan approval, and Sanggye 5 District’s redevelopment promotion plan amendment decision, which had been delayed for over two years, was processed this month. The Baeksamaeul Housing Redevelopment Maintenance Project in Junggye Bon-dong 20-3 area aims to start construction in the second half of next year after management disposition plan approval this year.

Additionally, the district plans to continue efforts to improve residential environments by communicating with residents through projects such as the Hope Village Residential Environment Improvement Project, Moa Town Management Plan establishment in Wolgye and Sanggye areas, construction of Gongneung Military Housing Apartments, and promotion of private redevelopment projects in Sanggye 5-dong. Especially, the Sanggye 5-dong private redevelopment project is a representative New Town Planning project site, and the district is moving swiftly to designate the maintenance zone this year. Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "The relaxation of reconstruction safety inspection standards and 100% interest-free loans for inspection costs, which are long-standing wishes of Nowon residents, are achievements made together by Nowon District and its residents." He stressed, "According to a recent policy evaluation survey, 44.7% of residents identified rapid promotion of redevelopment and reconstruction as the area to focus on most in the second year of the 8th elected term. We will spare no support that the district can provide going forward."

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