Dongdaemun District Launches Development Strategy Project to Establish Hongneung Future City Blueprint

Development Integrating Research and Development, Residential, and Cultural Functions

Lee Pilhyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun District in Seoul, announced that the district is launching a new research project to redesign the future development strategy for the Hongneung area.

On April 20, Dongdaemun District stated it has commenced the "Hongneung Area Regional Base Development Strategy Planning Service," targeting the Hongneung area, where policy conditions have been rapidly changing. As discussions on supplying public housing have been added to Hongneung, which has already established itself as a hub for research and development and technology commercialization, the district intends to go beyond site-by-site responses and redraw the blueprint for the entire area.

Location map of the Hongneung area. Provided by Dongdaemun-gu.

The Hongneung area is a leading research and development cluster in northeastern Seoul, densely populated with universities and research institutes. Since being designated as the Seoul Hongneung Small and Medium Research and Development Special Zone in August 2020, the 1.36 square kilometer area spanning Seongbuk and Dongdaemun districts has been specializing in the digital healthcare sector. Korea University, Kyung Hee University, and KIST are participating as key institutions. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to invest approximately 20 billion won over five years from 2026 to 2030 to implement the second phase of the Hongneung Special Zone project.

The main variable is the housing supply policy. In the "Urban Housing Supply Expansion and Acceleration Plan" announced on January 29, the government listed "1,500 units in Dongdaemun District" as a candidate site by relocating public facilities. As a result, there is a growing need to consider the relocation and utilization of major state- and publicly-owned sites—such as the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses site—within the context of the entire region.

The district plans to look not only at setting the development direction for a single parcel of land, but also at ways for Hongneung's research and development functions, residential demand, local industry, and living infrastructure to coexist.

This research project will comprehensively analyze the local conditions and development environment changes in the Hongneung area and review utilization plans for major sites such as the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and the Korea Economic Development Exhibition Hall. The focus will be on deriving development strategies that ensure research and development, residential, and cultural functions do not conflict but rather create synergies, while also maintaining consistency with higher-level plans. The project will also include measures for establishing a collaborative system involving universities, research institutes, and public institutions.

The Global Knowledge Cooperation Complex, home to the Korea Economic Development Exhibition Hall, is a case in which the former KDI site was repurposed as an educational and exhibition space. This will be reviewed as a reference model for expanding Hongneung's existing assets into future urban resources.

The vision Dongdaemun District has for Hongneung is that of a multi-functional hub where research and development, industry, culture, and daily life are integrated. Hongneung has been cultivating a digital healthcare ecosystem centered on the special zone, and the district has also pursued a model to expand this into a traditional medicine and green bio collaboration that connects with Seoul Yangnyeongsi.

Mayor Lee Pilhyung stated, "Hongneung is a key asset for Dongdaemun District, where history, universities, research institutes, and industrial infrastructure converge," adding, "We will proactively prepare a development direction that fits the changing policy environment, creating a sustainable growth foundation that leverages the region's strengths."

Based on the results of this research project, the district plans to establish public-private governance and develop the Hongneung area into a leading future city hub representing northeastern Seoul.

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