Seoripul district to get 'open-storage' museum, performance complex; Seogyo-dong to add 19-story hotel

A mixed-use cultural complex featuring four performance halls and rehearsal spaces is set to be built on the former site of the Defense Security Command in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The project's outlook is expected to improve as the review introduced an updated floor-area ratio framework and reflected higher construction costs. A hotel of up to 19 stories targeting foreign tourists is also planned for Seogyo-dong in Mapo-gu.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that its 17th Joint Urban Architecture Committee, which met Wednesday, approved with modifications the Seoripul district unit plan and special planning zone designation.

Seoripul Special Planning Zone A was designated in August 2023 for a development combining office space, performance venues and a museum, with completion targeted for 2030. The zone will house a mixed-use cultural complex designed by architect Kim Chan-joong, incorporating four performance halls and rehearsal facilities. It will also include South Korea's first "open-storage" museum — where the storage, management and restoration of the collection are visible to the public — built across two below-ground floors and seven above-ground floors.

The review incorporated the updated floor-area ratio framework revised in 2024 and reflected 52.6 billion won ($39.2 million) in public facility construction costs. The city also eased regulations on building uses to give operators greater flexibility in planning facilities in line with project conditions and visitor demand.

The committee also approved with modifications a revision to the Ssangmun residential district unit plan. The city said it would expand the district unit planning zone to cover the area around Changdong Station to reflect the shifting role of Dobong-ro as a central corridor and strengthen neighborhood functions. A relaxation of development regulations will allow landowners to pursue projects suited to their own conditions. The city also said it would offer incentives to developers who build tourist accommodation or street-activating facilities in conjunction with large cultural venues such as Seoul Arena.

The committee additionally approved with modifications a revision to the Dongsomuun 2-ga district unit plan, under which nine special planning zones on the northern side of the area around 33 Dongsomuun-dong 2-ga in Seongbuk-gu will be lifted. The nine southern zones will be temporarily reclassified as potential special planning zones to accommodate the Dongsomuun Zone 2 housing redevelopment project, while one redevelopment zone will retain its special planning zone designation.

Building density and height guidelines will be revised accordingly. Following the lifting of the special planning zones, a base floor-area ratio of 800 percent — with an allowable ceiling of 880 percent — will apply to general commercial zones, while a base ratio of 250 percent will apply to third-category general residential zones; building coverage ratios will be capped at 60 percent and 50 percent, respectively. The city set height limits of up to 70 meters along the main Dongsomuun-ro frontage and up to 40 meters on secondary roads behind it.

A subcommittee of the Joint Urban Architecture Committee meeting held the same day conditionally approved a review of infrastructure adequacy for two lots at 372-3 Seogyo-dong within the Mapo district unit planning zone. The decision paves the way for a 19-story accommodation facility aimed at meeting foreign tourist demand. The project qualified for a floor-area ratio of approximately 940 percent through incentives for building a tourist accommodation facility, obtaining green building certification and providing public open space.

The review found that improvements are needed in parks, green spaces and sewage infrastructure. The city plans to deposit funds into a dedicated escrow account to upgrade sewage pipes across the wider district and replace aging pipelines nearby.

An 11-story, 66.4-meter-tall office and neighborhood retail building is also planned for the area around 656-1119 Seongsu-dong 1-ga in Seongdong-gu. The project will carry a floor-area ratio of approximately 560 percent, reflecting incentives for introducing recommended business types within a development promotion zone and providing public open space.

"The lower floors will include neighborhood retail space and public open space," a Seoul city official said, adding that a shaded pedestrian environment will be created through building canopies and tree planting, giving residents a place to rest in the heart of the city.

Upper floors from the second story onward are set to house office tenants catering to the growing IT industry in the Seongsu area. The review identified a need for improvements to parks, green spaces and sewage infrastructure, leading to a decision to secure public open space on the site and fully replace the D600 sewage pipeline along Wangsimni-ro.