"Gangnam with vigor! Residents with energy! The great transformation of Gangnam!"
Since taking office, Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi has been driving change at a striking pace, making the slogan more than a catchphrase.
Gangnam-gu has cut the approval period for reconstruction association preparatory committees from the statutory 30 days to 10, overhauling its permit-review process to accelerate administrative procedures from the earliest stages of a project.
The district issued the preparatory committee approval certificate for the Ilwon Hansol Apartment reconstruction project on Wednesday — just 10 days after receiving the application, 20 days ahead of the legal deadline.
The preparatory committee approval for Daechi Seonkyeong Apartment is being processed within the same timeframe. The district has completed its review and plans to issue the approval certificate on Thursday.
The reduction in processing time is a result of administrative procedure improvements carried out under the "Gangnam Reconstruction Acceleration Project," known by its Korean acronym Sinhwa.
Earlier, the district processed the project implementation plan authorization for Eunma Apartment in about 40 days after the application was filed. That was made possible by introducing a "team-based simultaneous review" system, replacing the previous approach in which staff reviewed documents sequentially. By having multiple reviewers work in parallel, the district reduced waiting time between departments and staff, raising overall processing speed.
Procedures following preparatory committee approval are also moving quickly.
For Ilwon Hansol Apartment, once the preparatory committee submits its action plan in response to feedback from relevant departments, the district plans to request a maintenance plan decision from the Seoul Metropolitan Government in August.
Daechi Seonkyeong Apartment is working through follow-up procedures with the goal of having a maintenance plan decision announced in September. The district plans to provide close support to both complexes through its public assistance program until they receive association establishment authorization.
Other reconstruction complexes in Ilwon-dong are also picking up speed from the early stages of their projects.
Sangnoksu Apartment completed the verification and serial numbering of consent forms needed to apply for preparatory committee approval on Wednesday and has begun collecting resident consent signatures.
Cheongsol Village plans to ask the Seoul Metropolitan Government to initiate the process for a maintenance plan decision in September, after completing a review of public comment submissions.
Going forward, the district will provide step-by-step support for key reconstruction procedures, including preparatory committee approvals and association establishment authorizations. It also plans to offer legal and accounting consultations through an expert support team and mediate resident disputes, aiming to eliminate sources of delay and conflict from the outset.
"Residents who have waited a long time for reconstruction must be able to feel the change in administration through actual project speed," District Mayor Kim said. "We will boldly cut unnecessary procedures and waiting time, and the district will move first at every stage of reconstruction to deliver concrete results."
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