Maruk Park in Gwangju to Open in December... First Results of Long-Term Unexecuted Urban Planning

Park and Apartment Development through Private Special Projects
Jungang 2, Unamsan and Others to Open Sequentially Next Year
Plan to Convert 90% of Unexecuted Sites into Parks

Maruk Park, a long-term unexecuted urban planning facility in Maruk-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, is being opened to the public after the completion of both park and non-park facilities through the private park special project. This marks the beginning of visible results from the private park development projects in Gwangju that began in earnest in 2019.

Downtown park in Gwangju. Provided by Gwangju City

According to Gwangju City on November 17, the city will hold an opening ceremony at Maruk Park on the 21st and officially announce the completion of both the park and apartment construction, which is scheduled for December. Of the total 229,603 square meters in the Maruk-dong area, 177,589 square meters have been developed as a park, while 52,014 square meters now house an apartment complex with 917 units. The park features spaces for relaxation and experience, such as a nature playground, ecological learning center, barrier-free walking trail, and a loess health path.

This project is being promoted through a private park special scheme, which creates parks out of long-term unexecuted urban planning sites. Under this structure, a construction company purchases the designated land, develops it into a park, donates the park to Gwangju City, and then covers project costs by building apartments and other non-park facilities on the remaining land.

In Gwangju, large-scale park development projects have been sequentially completed, starting with the opening of Shinyong Park in Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, in March this year. Next year, several more parks are scheduled for completion: Jungang 2 (January, Pungam-dong in Seo-gu and Juwol-dong in Nam-gu), Unamsan (February, Dongnim-dong in Buk-gu), Ilgok (August, Ilgok-dong and Yangsan-dong in Buk-gu), Songam (November, Songha-dong and Haengam-dong in Nam-gu), and Jungoe (December, Unam-dong in Buk-gu).

In 2027, Jungang 1 (Kumho-dong and Hwajeong-dong in Seo-gu) and Surang (Sochon-dong and Usan-dong in Gwangsan-gu) will be completed, while apartment construction will be finished sequentially: Jungang 2 (July 2026), Ilgok (October 2026), Jungoe (December 2026), followed by Bongsan (April 2027), Jungang 1 and Unamsan (June 2027), Songam (October 2027), and Surang (May 2028).

Of the total 7,894,000 square meters of unexecuted urban planning facilities in Gwangju, 90.4% (7,133,000 square meters) will be developed as parks and transferred to city ownership, while the remaining 9.6% (761,000 square meters) will be used for apartment complexes totaling about 12,000 units.

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