Seoul remodeling projects gain momentum as two apartment complexes win approval for 359 new units

Two Seoul apartment complexes — Janwon Dong-A in Seocho-gu and Garak KGM 1st in Songpa-gu — will add a combined 359 units through remodeling. Another 262 units, including public rental and long-term jeonse housing, will be built in transit-oriented areas near Annam Station and Gwangheungchang Station.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that four proposals cleared architectural review at the 19th Architecture Committee session held Tuesday: the Janwon Dong-A Apartment remodeling project, the Garak KGM 1st Apartment remodeling project, the Annam Station transit-oriented area revitalization project, and the Gwangheungchang Station transit-oriented long-term jeonse housing construction project.

The two remodeling projects will increase the combined unit count from 3,055 to 3,414. The two transit-oriented developments will supply 262 units, including 71 public rental homes.

The approvals come as the Seoul Metropolitan Government pushes to expand housing supply through remodeling as well as reconstruction. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said at a press briefing marking his 100th day in office for his ninth elected term on Oct. 7 that the city was preparing measures to revitalize remodeling. "We will expand support for remodeling so that project conditions are no less favorable than those for reconstruction," Oh said. "We also plan to announce specific incentives soon."

The Janwon Dong-A Apartment in Seocho-gu, completed in 2002, will grow from 991 to 1,073 units — an increase of 82 — through horizontal-extension remodeling. The complex is planned at eight buildings rising up to 25 above-ground floors over six below-ground floors. The 82 additional units will be offered through pre-sale.

Infrastructure around the complex, including roads and parks, will be upgraded, and perimeter walls will be removed to create pedestrian space along the street. The complex will also include community-shared facilities such as an open reading room, an indoor swimming pool and a sauna.

The Garak KGM 1st Apartment in Songpa-gu, completed in 1997, will expand from 2,064 to 2,341 units, adding 277. The project will apply both vertical and horizontal extensions while retaining the existing structural frame, resulting in 14 buildings of up to 27 floors. The 277 additional units are slated for general pre-sale.

The complex will feature a small library, a children's library, an open reading room, childcare facilities, a kids' cafe and an open playground. A public walkway will connect the complex to the nearby Gaju Elementary School, and an open parking lot will be operated as a public parking facility.

Near Annam Station in Seongbuk-gu, a mixed-use residential, commercial and office complex comprising two buildings — five below-ground floors and up to 28 above-ground floors — will be constructed. The residential portion will total 132 units, consisting of 30 public rental homes and 102 private rental units.

The first and second above-ground floors will house a youth entrepreneurship support facility and shared office space. To connect Goryeodae-ro 26-gil and Goryeodae-ro 28-gil, which currently cannot accommodate vehicle traffic, part of the project site will be donated as road space, and pedestrian areas will also be expanded.

Near Gwangheungchang Station in Mapo-gu's Sangsu-dong, a 24-story residential building with 130 units will be built, 41 of which will be offered as long-term jeonse housing. The building layout and unit arrangement will take Han River views into account, and terraces will be incorporated into the design.

The site will also include a women's employment and entrepreneurship support center, which will serve as a local hub providing tailored job counseling and vocational education for women's economic participation.

"This round of architectural approvals ties together housing supply in transit-oriented areas and additional units through aging apartment remodeling, adding a total of 621 new homes to the city," said Myeong No-jun, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Housing Bureau. "We will also push ahead without delay on follow-up steps including ground-breaking and pre-sales."