[Exclusive] Seoul City Moves to Improve Moa Town System: "Strengthening Joint Implementer Requirements and Introducing Public Management"

Earlier Dispatch of Association Advisory Coordinators

Study Launched to "Introduce Public Management to Moa Town"

Joint On-Site Inspections with Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Planned

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is seeking to revise regulations to strengthen the qualifications required for joint project implementers, as part of efforts to prevent corruption related to the implementation and construction rights of the Moa Town project.

The city is also considering dispatching coordinators—either from the initial stage of establishing a street housing maintenance association or by making such dispatch mandatory—to support residents and mediate conflicts in the associations that form the foundation of Moa Town. Site inspections of Moa Town projects will also be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon inspecting the Moa Town site in Hyeonjedong, Seodaemun-gu last year. Photo by The Asia Business Daily.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on May 4, the city plans to request a revision of the “Special Act on the Maintenance of Vacant Houses and Small-Scale Housing” from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, aimed at tightening the requirements for joint project implementers. Under the current law, even small-scale construction firms can participate as joint implementers as long as they meet certain criteria, which has led to concerns that the joint implementer system is being abused as a channel for exercising excessive business authority.

Moa Town is a signature small-scale maintenance model in Seoul, designed to supply “Moa Housing”—multi-family residential complexes—by grouping together blocks of aging low-rise residential areas where large-scale redevelopment is difficult. As of the end of March, the initiative is underway in 132 areas—including Jungnang-gu, Gangbuk-gu, Seongbuk-gu, and Gwangjin-gu—for over 40,000 households, but ongoing institutional loopholes continue to draw criticism.

In Moa Town projects, joint implementers serve as partners who work alongside the associations to carry out the actual business, handling practical matters such as construction, financing, and licensing support. While the final decisions rest with the associations and joint implementers are supposed to provide support, on-site situations frequently see the roles reversed, leading to conflicts.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government stated, “We are actively monitoring issues arising on the ground and intend to request a regulatory revision regarding the strengthening of joint implementer requirements,” adding, “We have also launched a study to introduce the concept of public management—similar to that used in general redevelopment and reconstruction—into Moa Town, which has only a short history of implementation.”

The city is also reviewing plans to dispatch coordinators at earlier stages. Coordinators are public support personnel—comprised of professionals such as lawyers, architects, and accountants—who provide free advisory services throughout the project, including association management, communication with residents, contractor selection, and contract review. Given that most Moa Town association members are ordinary residents without experience in maintenance projects, coordinators are considered a key mechanism for supplementing expertise and preventing disputes.

However, the main issue is when coordinators are deployed. Currently, coordinators are dispatched only after conflicts arise at project sites, but by that time, contractor selection and contracts are often already finalized, limiting the effectiveness of their intervention. In response, the city is considering making it mandatory to dispatch coordinators prior to or immediately after the establishment of associations, or before contractors are selected.

Separately from new system improvements, the city will also step up inspections of existing project sites. Areas with a high concentration of Moa Town projects and those with a large proportion of elderly association members are being considered as priority targets for inspection.

Currently, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are discussing joint inspection measures to apply the same level of on-site scrutiny to Moa Town projects as to general maintenance projects.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched training to strengthen the capacity of association executives involved in small-scale housing maintenance projects. Under the revised Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Act, effective since November 21 last year, association chairpersons, directors, and auditors are required to complete at least 12 hours of training within six months of their appointment or reappointment. The training is conducted twice a year—once in the first half and once in the second half—each session consisting of 12 hours of group instruction. The city will run the first half-year course from June 6 to 11.

A view of the Moa Town project site in Junghwa-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

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