Seoul decides to lift ‘green-belt restrictions’ in 12 years, 50,000 new housing units in four areas of the metropolitan area

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Last summer, as apartment prices surged in areas like Gangnam, Seoul, the government announced housing supply measures.

As a follow-up, today (Nov. 5), new potential sites for housing development in four areas of the metropolitan area were announced, as well as the lifting of the green-belt restrictions in Seoul.

There are mixed opinions regarding the lifting of the green-belt restrictions.

Oh Dae-seong reports.

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This is a neighborhood in Seocho-gu, Seoul, consisting of fields, farms, and mountains.

As you can see, there are only plastic greenhouses here.

This is because it has been designated as a green-belt zone, or a development-restricted area.

The government has announced plans to lift the green-belt restriction in the Seocho area, equivalent to the size of 310 soccer fields, to build 20,000 apartments.

This is the first lifting of the green-belt restriction in Seoul in 12 years since 2012.

[Oh Se-hoon/Mayor of Seoul: "We have selected the Seocho Seoripul area, which has high preference and excellent access to the city center as a residential area. Out of a total of over 20,000 households in Seoul, a whopping 55%, or 11,000 households, will be supplied as long-term rental housing exclusively for newlyweds."]

In Gyeonggi Province, three new housing sites will be developed, with plans to supply 14,000 housing units near the Uiwang Interchange.

Additionally, in Goyang City, 9,400 units will be built around Daekok Station, which connects five railway lines. And in Uijeongbu City, 7,000 units will be built on military sites such as the former 306 Supplementary Unit.

[Park Sang-woo/Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "(In addition to the existing) metropolitan transportation infrastructure, we will actively consider the establishment of new railway stations and the construction of transfer hub centers to ensure that there are no inconveniences in daily life after moving in."]

However, there are criticisms regarding the fact that most of the new housing sites are land gained by lifting the green-belt restriction.

[Yoon Eun-joo/Head of Urban Reform Center, Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice: "(With the lifting of the green-belt restriction), the rights of citizens that were protected in terms of ecological aspects will be significantly damaged... The concentration in the metropolitan area is already serious, and if it is further loosened, it could undermine the sustainability of South Korea."]

The government stated that it was an unavoidable choice for the housing welfare of future generations and promised to minimize environmental damage through efficient land use.

This is Oh Dae-seong from KBS News.