Gangnam-gu, led by District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki, has launched a "Rapid Advancement Expert Support Unit" to reduce conflicts in reconstruction projects and accelerate administrative procedures.
The district office held a commissioning ceremony Wednesday, presenting credentials to 41 experts drawn from urban redevelopment, law, architecture and urban planning.
The unit operates as a specialized body under the district mayor's direct "Gangnam Reconstruction Rapid Harmony (Sinhwa) Task Force," which was activated when the ninth elected-term administration took office. It reorganizes the existing advisory function to better match on-site demand and expands both staffing and the scope of support. Members will serve three-year terms from Saturday through July 31, 2029.
The roster includes reconstruction project specialists alongside lawyers, certified appraisers, architects and judicial scriveners. Experts in urban planning, transportation, real estate and conflict management also participate, helping resolve the complex issues that arise during the reconstruction process.
The unit operates across three functional teams: conflict mediation, expert advisory and public consultation. The conflict mediation team visits project sites directly to mediate disputes among residents, associations and other stakeholders, handling problems early through a combination of scheduled visits and ad hoc interventions.
The expert advisory team convenes a panel of around five specialists whenever a site-specific issue arises. The team jointly reviews matters that cut across law, appraisal, architecture, transportation and other disciplines to offer practical solutions.
The public consultation team expands expert consultations from once to twice a week. Specialists will meet residents in person at the district office to advise on all aspects of reconstruction, including redevelopment procedures, legal questions, property appraisals and pre-sale prices.
The unit's composition reflects an analysis of actual public demand. A review of more than 800 reconstruction-related complaints filed through the national civil petition portal over the past year found that conflict mediation accounted for 42.6 percent of cases and expert advisory for 36.5 percent — together roughly 80 percent of all complaints.
The district determined that a proactive system was needed — one in which experts go directly to project sites to mediate conflicts and propose solutions, rather than simply reacting after complaints are filed.
The unit will operate in coordination with the Gangnam Reconstruction Rapid Harmony Task Force, which the district mayor leads directly. Kim will oversee expert support and inter-departmental collaboration to resolve issues at each stage of reconstruction as quickly as possible.
"Reconstruction conflicts are one of the biggest causes of project delays," District Mayor Kim said. "The district will provide full backing so that the expert support unit can listen to residents on the ground and find reasonable solutions, and we will use that to accelerate the pace of reconstruction."
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