Gangseo-gu to hold public meeting on 1,000-unit housing plan for Yeomchang park site

"We will listen carefully to residents' concerns about traffic, safety and infrastructure that could arise from a development of 1,000 housing units, and find solutions."

Gangseo-gu held an expanded senior staff meeting at the district office Tuesday, livestreaming the entire session on YouTube for the first time. Residents flooded the chat with concerns over the government's plan to build 1,000 units of public housing on a degraded section of Yeomchang Neighborhood Park. District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon said the district would listen closely to residents and work toward solutions.

The meeting was attended by Jin and all senior civil servants in the district. Key agenda items included plans to relocate the district office to a new integrated facility in Magok and to convert the existing building into a cultural complex. Jin called for minimizing inconvenience to residents during the transition, asking staff to review staffing arrangements for visitor guidance and the frequency of shuttle bus service to the new facility.

"Since public funds have gone into the new integrated office, we must be careful to reuse furniture and minimize waste so that not a single won is squandered right up to the end," he said. "The relocation will take more than a month, and residents may face inconvenience during that time, so please pay close attention to every detail."

When comments opposing the construction of apartment housing on the degraded parkland appeared in the YouTube chat, Jin explained the background of the plan and what comes next.

"Yeomchang-dong was formerly a semi-industrial zone, and housing was built there before roads, parks and other infrastructure were properly in place, which is why the area has long suffered from narrow roads and inadequate facilities," he said. "I empathize with the difficulties residents are experiencing." The government announced on Aug. 13 that the Yeomchang park site would be designated a new residential development zone. According to the district, a private park development project was launched in the area in the 1990s, but the developer failed to build the community amenities it had originally promised, halting the project and leaving the site neglected for more than 20 years.

On concerns about the development, Jin said the district would hold a public information session as soon as possible to present plans from Gangseo-gu, the Korea Land and Housing Corp. and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and to address residents' grievances. "It is very important that we listen carefully to residents' views on traffic and safety issues and on securing adequate infrastructure that could arise from a 1,000-unit development, and that we find solutions," he said.

Addressing some misconceptions surrounding the project, Jin said the development would not damage the park itself. "This is not about destroying a park to build housing — the apartments would go on land that has already lost its function as a park," he said.

Yeomchang Neighborhood Park covers a total area of 111,769 square meters, of which the degraded site targeted for development spans 50,711 square meters. The district plans to create an open green space linked to the existing park for use by both current and future residents.

Future senior staff meetings will also be livestreamed. A link to the live broadcast will be posted on the district office website one hour before each meeting. Anyone can watch and leave comments or submit policy suggestions.

"We decided to open the senior staff meetings to the public in order to increase transparency in district administration and strengthen communication with residents by showing the policy-making process exactly as it is," Jin said. "We will listen closely to residents' voices and actively reflect them in how we run the district."