Public rental facility for Sewoon printing firms to grow from 10 to 18 floors

A public rental facility set to house small printing businesses displaced by redevelopment in Seoul's Sewoon Renewal Promotion District will be significantly larger than originally planned. The building, initially designed at 10 above-ground floors, will be expanded to 18, increasing available units from 72 to about 130 — a gain of 58 spaces.

The Korea Printing Cooperative Federation announced Monday that the expansion plan for the No. 1 Public Rental Printing Industry Support Facility has been finalized. The federation had been urging the Seoul Metropolitan Government to approve the plan to help printing firms in the Sewoon district relocate and resettle.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government approved a plan at its Urban Renewal Committee on June 30 to expand the facility from two below-ground and 10 above-ground floors to two below-ground and 18 above-ground floors, then formally confirmed the decision through an official notice and announcement on Thursday.

As a result, the number of units available to printing businesses inside the facility will increase by about 80 percent, from 72 to roughly 130. The expansion means more firms forced to relocate during the Sewoon district redevelopment will be able to continue operating without leaving their existing industrial area.

The No. 1 Public Rental Printing Industry Support Facility is a publicly owned industrial complex targeting small printing businesses that must move due to the Sewoon redevelopment project. The printing industry — which links output, printing, binding, finishing and other processes within a compact area — has long faced concerns that scattering individual firms to different locations could weaken established trade networks and production systems.

As redevelopment in the Sewoon district has accelerated, securing enough operating space for small businesses during the process has emerged as a central issue for the printing industry. The expansion adds eight floors to the original structure, increasing the number of firms that can be accommodated.

Construction will begin with a ground-breaking ceremony on Oct. 15 and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2028. Once move-in begins, the facility is expected to serve as a resettlement base for printing firms designated for relocation as part of the Sewoon district redevelopment.

Korea Printing Cooperative Federation Chairman Park Jang-seon called the confirmed expansion to 18 floors "a meaningful first result" of efforts to preserve the printing industry ecosystem in the Sewoon district. "We will work to ensure that the voices of printing businesses subject to relocation are reflected in the project process through official communication channels, including public-private consultative bodies," he said.

Beyond the No. 1 facility, the federation plans to continue discussions with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Jung-gu office on establishing additional public rental printing industry support facilities within the Sewoon district.