Seoul is considering building housing on a portion of Yeonsan Park
The administration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is considering the possibility of building housing on a portion of Yeonsan Park in central Seoul. Ha Jung-kyung, senior presidential secretary for economic growth, stated that this could help clean up the contaminated land of the former U.S. military base.
According to the Korea Herald, the soil and groundwater in this area, which was used by the U.S. military for decades, are contaminated. Ha Jung-kyung estimates that the cleanup could cost anywhere from hundreds of billions of won to over 1 trillion won, or about $710 million. The official noted that developing part of the site would make it possible to remove the contaminated soil, transport it elsewhere, and carry out remediation.
Ha Joong-kyung emphasized that the government is not proposing to convert the entire park into a residential complex. The authorities are considering a balance between the park area and residential development, specifically the possibility of creating housing for young people. The park covers an area of approximately 910,000 pyeong, or 300 hectares, while the territory of Yeouido within the dikes covers approximately 880,000 pyeong.
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Seoul city officials, the Yeongsan District administration, and local residents oppose the housing development. They believe that the area, returned to the public after more than 120 years of foreign military presence, should be preserved as a symbolic national park and a rare green space in the city center.
The proposal faces a legal obstacle: a special law on the establishment of Yongsan Park, passed in 2007, prohibits the sale or transfer of the main park area for purposes unrelated to the park. The Presidential Administration reported that the relevant ministry is consulting with the appropriate agencies and gathering public opinion regarding the possible use of part of the park for new rental housing. At the same time, no specific decisions have yet been made regarding the method, the responsible agency, or the timeline for such discussions.
