Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's flagship housing policy — breaking ground on 310,000 homes across the city by 2031 — is gaining momentum in Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu.
Oh, who won strong backing from Gangnam-area residents in the June 3 local elections, is working in close coordination with Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su and Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyeon-gi to produce tangible results in reconstruction projects.
The two district mayors are reinforcing the Seoul Metropolitan Government's effort to ease residents' housing anxieties — driven by a shortage of supply and rising home prices — with hands-on, field-centered administration.
Both Jeon and Kim made reconstruction a top priority from their first day in office, personally overseeing project sites and working to shorten permit timelines and resolve disputes.
Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su's mobile reconstruction support unit bears its first fruit
Seocho-gu's district-mayor-led mobile reconstruction rapid support unit — launched at the start of the ninth elected-term administration — has produced its first result: the groundbreaking of the Bangbae Sindonga apartment reconstruction project.
The Bangbae Sindonga reconstruction had originally been expected to break ground in the fourth quarter of this year due to complex administrative procedures and outstanding issues. Through Seocho-gu's active process management and on-site support, however, the timeline was moved up and the first shovel went into the ground on Thursday.
The Bangbae Sindonga apartment complex was the first project site where the mobile reconstruction rapid support unit deployed field support.
On July 2, Jeon visited the site with a team of reconstruction specialists, listened to concerns from association representatives and reviewed outstanding issues in the project's progress. With experts, district officials and the association working together on solutions, the project picked up speed.
A "full-process deadline system" for urban renewal projects that Seocho-gu introduced last year also contributed to the early groundbreaking. The district set processing deadlines for each stage of a project, systematically managing progress and identifying potential delays in advance.
The groundbreaking is an example of field-centered administration translating into concrete results in line with Seoul's goal of starting construction on 310,000 homes by 2031.
Through reconstruction, the Bangbae Sindonga apartment complex will be transformed into "Othere Bangbae," a development comprising six buildings with 843 units across four below-ground and 35 above-ground floors. Completion is scheduled for October 2029.
"I am delighted to see the first fruits of the mobile reconstruction rapid support unit with the groundbreaking of the Bangbae Sindonga reconstruction," Jeon said. "Going forward, I will do everything in my power to get out to the field, listen to residents' voices, mediate disputes and ensure Seocho-gu's reconstruction projects move forward without a hitch."
Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyeon-gi takes personal charge of reconstruction TF
Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyeon-gi also declared a reconstruction push from his first day in office, signing off on the "Gangnam Reconstruction Acceleration Project" as his first official act.
Kim personally heads the task force, receiving daily progress reports on individual projects and visiting sites to drive reconstruction forward.
On July 2, he visited the Eunma apartment complex — a landmark reconstruction site in Gangnam — and personally handed residents the project implementation plan approval. He then held a meeting with association representatives to review difficulties in the project's progress and check the schedule going forward.
On July 8, he chaired the first reconstruction progress management review meeting, formally launching a system under which he directly oversees projects scheduled to break ground during the ninth elected-term administration.
The meeting was attended by the head of the urban environment bureau along with department heads responsible for infrastructure — including reconstruction projects, roads, flood control, parks and green spaces, transportation, the environment and architecture. Participants reviewed progress and delay factors for each project and discussed ways to improve inter-departmental cooperation.
The meeting's significance lies in formalizing a system in which the district mayor directly manages the entire reconstruction process, going beyond routine progress reporting.
Gangnam-gu currently has 103 urban renewal projects underway, including 53 reconstruction projects as well as redevelopment and remodeling initiatives.
The district has set a target of supplying 27,330 housing units by 2030. Annual groundbreaking targets are 2,560 units in 2027, 8,550 in 2028, 5,600 in 2029 and 10,620 in 2030.
Kim has held up the Eunma apartment project implementation approval as a model for reconstruction administration.
The Eunma apartment complex went through complex procedures involving consultations with about 80 relevant departments and agencies as well as public review, yet the approval was completed 33 days ahead of the 60-day statutory deadline.
Gangnam-gu plans to apply the permit-coordination approach developed at Eunma to other major reconstruction sites, significantly cutting processing times.
"The first thing I do every morning when I come in is receive the reconstruction TF briefing," Kim said. "I will establish a process management system that directly reviews the progress of each project and immediately resolves delay factors." He added: "I will make sure to show that reconstruction can move at a different pace when the district mayor is personally in charge."
With Mayor Oh's housing supply expansion policy now backed by the field-focused reconstruction administration of district mayors Jeon and Kim, Seoul's housing supply push is moving into full gear in Gangnam and Seocho. Attention is turning to whether the early groundbreaking at Bangbae Sindonga and the shortened approval timeline at Eunma can spread to other reconstruction sites across the city.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
