Yongsan-gu Opposes Housing Supply in Yongsan Park Site, Calls for National Park for Citizens

Yongsan-gu has expressed its opposition regarding plans to supply housing within the Yongsan Park site in Seoul.

In an official statement, Yongsan-gu stated, "We express deep concern over the recently reviewed government plans to promote housing supply around the Yongsan Park area," emphasizing, "We clearly oppose the pursuit of housing supply that undermines the identity and future value of Yongsan Park."

Yongsan-gu pointed out, "Yongsan Park is not simply a developable site, but a national asset containing South Korea's historical significance, symbolism, and publicness," adding, "Approaching it with the logic of housing supply without social discussion and consensus undermines the original purpose of creating Yongsan Park."

It further stated, "Yongsan Park must be created as a national park for all citizens."

The district explained, "The current Special Act on the Establishment of Yongsan Park stipulates that the main US military base site is to be established as a park in principle, and prohibits changing its use or disposing of it for other purposes," adding, "This clearly shows that Yongsan Park is a national public asset, not a developable housing site."

It argued, "Increasing the development density of the park or drastically changing its residential function for the sake of securing short-term housing supply reduces publicness and undermines the value of a national asset that must be passed down to future generations."

The district noted, "The future competitiveness of Yongsan Park lies in completing a prestigious national symbolic space where history, culture, and ecology coexist," and added, "As this is a critical issue that will determine a hundred-year plan, policies must be decided through sufficient discussion and social consensus among the government, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu, residents, and experts."

It concluded, "To protect the publicness and value of Yongsan Park, the district will consult with the government and Seoul Metropolitan Government and do its utmost to ensure that the wishes of the district's residents are reflected."

(Photo provided by Yongsan-gu, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.