The additional new public housing sites that the government plans to announce as early as late next month will not include Yongsan Park or development restriction zones (greenbelts) located in Seoul.

Before meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 26th, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoon-deok was asked by reporters whether Yongsan would be excluded from the new housing sites, to which he replied, "Yongsan was not included in the first place."

When asked whether the 73,000 households would be filled entirely with housing sites within Gyeonggi Province, he said it was difficult to speak specifically, adding, "Let's wait and see patiently."

In the August 13 measures, the government announced plans to create new housing sites in three areas—Gangseo in Seoul, and Namyangju and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province—to break ground on 27,000 households by 2030.

In addition, the government stated that it would announce additional new housing sites on the scale of "73,000 households plus alpha" after going through relevant administrative procedures as early as late September.

Candidates for the additional housing sites had been discussed, including greenbelts within Seoul such as the Naegok-dong reserve forces training ground in Seocho-gu, Segok-dong and Jagok-dong in Gangnam-gu, the Suseo Vehicle Depot, and the area near the Olympic Athletes' Village in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu. However, views emerged that the feasibility was unclear as the Seoul City government maintained a staunch opposition to supplying housing through greenbelt deregulation.

The government has also been reviewing plans to utilize the main sites within Yongsan Park, including the Yongsan Children's Garden, for housing supply, but this has similarly faced opposition from Seoul City.

Amid this situation, rumors are circulating that the additional new housing sites are likely to be centered around Gyeonggi Province.

An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained regarding Minister Kim's remarks, "The minister stated definitively that Seoul is not included in the 73,000 households [for the additional housing sites]."

(Photo: Yonhap News)