The project spans 9 buildings rising up to 25 above-ground floors with 5 below-ground floors, totaling 1,113 units — a net gain of 112 through horizontal expansion. The approval wraps up the key permitting process roughly five years after the association was established, raising hopes that remodeling activity along the Ichon-dong waterfront will accelerate following the Ichon Hyundai Apartment project.
Yongsan-gu approved the housing construction project plan for the Gangchon Apartment remodeling project on a site at 402 Ichon-dong and an adjacent lot, and published the topographic map and related notices on Friday.
The approval triggers a series of deemed permits under applicable law, including a remodeling permit under the Housing Act, a building permit under the Building Act, and a district unit plan decision and development activity permit under the Act on the Planning and Use of the National Territory.
Gangchon Apartment is a 1,001-unit residential complex that received its building permit in 1994. Located within walking distance of Ichon Station and Han River Park, the complex has consistently drawn calls for improvements to its living environment over the roughly 30 years since its completion, with residents citing a shortage of parking and aging infrastructure.
Under the approved plan, the project site covers a land area of 30,987.6 square meters and will be redeveloped into a residential complex of 9 buildings with 5 below-ground and 25 above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 234,873.55 square meters. The building-to-land ratio is 34.59 percent, the floor area ratio is 483.46 percent, and the complex will provide a total of 1,900 parking spaces. Ancillary welfare facilities, including a daycare center and a residents' community facility with a breakfast cafe, are also planned.
The project is notable as a unit-increase horizontal-expansion remodeling, adding 112 units to the existing 1,001 for a total supply of 1,113 units. The association secured a structural safety assessment in July 2022 confirming that horizontal expansion was feasible.
The project has moved through a series of milestones since the remodeling housing association received its establishment approval in October 2021: a preliminary consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Joint Urban and Architecture Committee in December 2023, a review by the district urban planning committee in March 2024, a traffic impact assessment review by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in May 2024, and a Seoul Metropolitan Government architectural committee review in December of that year. The project plan approval application was filed in October 2025 and cleared a supplementary review process before the current approval was granted.
Before granting approval, Yongsan-gu coordinated among internal departments and external agencies to verify the adequacy of the design across all relevant areas, and also finalized a district unit plan decision for Special Planning Zone 5 within the Seobing-go Apartment District.
In the broader Ichon-dong area, horizontal-expansion remodeling work on Ichon Hyundai Apartment is already underway, with a completion inspection targeted for the first half of 2027.
With the Gangchon Apartment project plan now approved, remodeling activity among aging residential complexes along the Han River is expected to pick up further momentum.
Yongsan-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae said the approval "is the fruit of lengthy coordination among relevant agencies and departments, and a long-awaited achievement for Ichon-dong residents," adding that the district office would provide full administrative support to ensure the remaining steps — including ground-breaking and resident relocation — proceed without a hitch. He added that he hopes "Ichon-dong will rise further as a premier residential neighborhood representing Yongsan, building on its locational strengths of the Han River waterfront and Ichon Station."
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