Land minister tells Seoul it cannot simply rule out housing in Yongsan

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok urged Seoul on Wednesday not to cling to what he called the "Yongsan impossibility" position — the stance that housing construction on the former US military base site in Yongsan is absolutely off the table under any circumstances.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Kim said he hoped the city would "approach this with an open mind, thinking of Seoul's future — its young people and newlyweds."

He also asked Seoul to "join with an open mind" on using portions of already-degraded land within the site, such as former officer quarters, and on holding a public deliberation process on the matter.

Kim said the failure to reach an agreement with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at their Wednesday meeting reflected "an extremely urgent situation in which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the ruling party and the opposition party, must all pull together" at a time when housing supply in Seoul had hit a critical low.

However, he welcomed Seoul's indication that it would take a more forward-looking approach to the greenbelt, and said the ministry would also review the Tancheon site that Seoul proposed Wednesday.

The meeting was the second between Kim and Oh over housing supply options within the Yongsan Park site, and it ended without agreement. The government reiterated its desire to develop youth housing on portions of the site previously used for residential purposes, but Seoul maintained its strong opposition to the plan.