Apartment Regulations

[Anchor Lead]

The city government of Seoul will put in active efforts to improve the environment of the so-called "matchbox" apartments. However, the municipal government's plan to remove the apartment complex walls is seen as excessive by some critics.

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All these apartment buildings look the same. It's hard to distinguish these so-called "matchbox" apartment buildings if they didn't have building numbers marked on the exteriors. This is why the city government of Seoul has proposed an urban architecture reform plan. The municipal government has mandated that a design contest be held before an apartment building is built in the future. Up until now architectural designs were determined by the builders, but in the future diverse architects will vie to design apartment buildings.

[Soundbite] Jin Hee-seon(Vice Mayor II for Administrative Affairs, Seoul City Hall) : "We'll use the design competitions to realize colorful urban contexts and harmonious architectural design innovations."

The city will provide guidelines that will make the apartment features and surrounding areas blend in seamlessly. The municipal government plans to open up apartment complexes that are currently closed off like urban islands. But some critics are concerned that the plan is unrealistic. A case in point is this apartment complex, which was a pilot program for a wall-less apartment project six years ago. But fences were erected after the buildings were completed.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-gyeong(Apartment Resident) : "The residents thought that the apartment complex would be kept cleaner."

Despite the controversy that the city is inserting itself too deeply in matters concerning private properties, the city government is set to test out this reform plan starting in the first half of this year. More than half of all apartment complexes in Seoul need to be overhauled by 2030.