On the 13th, after walking about 15 minutes from Deungchon Station on Seoul Subway Line 9, an old sign reading “Riverside Golf Driving Range” came into view. Upon passing through the entrance and stepping inside, the site bore little resemblance to a park. The building’s windows were shattered, and the rusted metal parking structure was piled high with dust and fallen leaves. Construction materials and scrap were piled up everywhere, and excavators and illegally parked vehicles remained abandoned on the vacant lot.
Upon crossing the long, two-story building to the opposite side, a completely different scene unfolded. Mount Jeungmi stood to the left of the grassy area, where the grass had grown as tall as a person’s waist, and the Han River was clearly visible straight ahead beyond the Olympic Expressway. Although vehicles constantly pass by along the Han River bank, the interior of the site still bore clear signs of having been neglected for nearly 20 years. On the day of the visit, three maintenance workers were cutting the overgrown grass around the building’s entrance. They stated, “The building has been maintained all along.”
Through this initiative, the government has decided to provide 1,000 housing units on this 51,000-square-meter (approximately 15,000 pyeong) site—units affordable for young people and other low-income residents without homes. The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) is the project developer. An open green space connected to the existing Yeomchang Park will also be created. The goal is to begin construction in 2029—33 months after the announcement—by streamlining various procedures, including district designation and district planning.
Project ‘Stalled’ as Only the Golf Range Was Built, Not the Promised ParkThe story of how this site became an eyesore dates back some 30 years. According to Gangseo District, a permit for a private park development project was granted here in 1990. The condition was that the private developer, while developing the park site, would build community facilities for residents, such as cultural facilities for youth, a community center for seniors, and an outdoor performance venue.
However, after constructing profit-generating facilities such as a golf driving range, the developer failed to properly fulfill the promised park facilities. Gangseo District revoked the developer’s designation in 2006 and, in 2009, shut down the golf driving range by administrative order. Since then, the site has remained in limbo for an extended period due to entangled issues involving changes in ownership and equity disputes.
An official from Gangseo District stated, “Although it is designated as a park under the urban planning regulations, it has been so severely degraded that it is difficult to recognize it as a park even when viewed from aerial photographs,” adding, “Since it is an unmanaged space—with construction machinery left standing, for example—there have been concerns about safety accidents and complaints from residents.”
This time, a solution was found through public development rather than private development. By designating the area as a public housing district, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) can acquire the land—which was previously restricted by the existing park zoning plan—through compensation and then develop it to include both housing and green spaces.
“It’s good that the eyesore is going away, but…”… Mixed Reactions from ResidentsResidents met at the site generally reacted positively to the fact that the long-neglected golf driving range site is being redeveloped. However, opinions were divided regarding the concentration of public rental housing.
Mr. A, a man in his 40s who lives nearby, said, “The golf driving range area has been neglected for nearly 20 years, and if you went to the back, it even felt like an abandoned house.” He added, “If they’re only developing the damaged golf driving range site—rather than leveling the entire Jeungmi Mountain—it’s not a bad thing from the residents’ perspective.” Ms. B, a woman in her 30s whom we met at the site, also reacted positively, saying, “Isn’t it a good thing to provide housing that young people can afford?”
On the other hand, Mr. C, a resident in his 70s, pointed out, “Rental housing is already planned for the nearby redevelopment project, so it’s a shame to have more rental housing here,” adding, “Wouldn’t it be better to build facilities that residents can use, like a swimming pool?”
The government’s plan is to focus development on damaged areas rather than clearing the entire forest to build housing. While the total area of Yeomchang Neighborhood Park is 111,769 square meters, the site designated for the housing project covers approximately 50,711 square meters, excluding the forested areas. The plan is to create open green spaces connected to the existing park so that both residents and new homeowners can use them together.
The surrounding real estate market reacted more sensitively to the questions of “what will be supplied” and “how it will be supplied.” In the Yeomchang-dong area, discussions on redevelopment are underway, centered on aging apartment complexes such as Wooseong Phases 1 and 2 and Samcheolli. Given the possibility that rental housing may be supplied as part of public contributions during the redevelopment process, observers note that it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the local housing market if the adjacent new residential site is also developed primarily as public rental housing.
An official from a nearby licensed real estate agency explained, “While it’s positive from the perspective of redeveloping an abandoned site, residents will perceive it differently depending on whether the entire development consists of rental housing or a mixed-use complex that includes both rental and for-sale units.” They added, “Residents who feel that a large number of public rental units are being introduced into a single area may worry about the impact on home prices.”
Another real estate agent noted, “Housing prices are ultimately influenced by a combination of factors, including the appeal of new developments, transportation access, and the progress of nearby redevelopment projects.” They added, “In fact, the renovation of the long-neglected golf driving range and the resulting improvement in the surrounding environment will also have a positive effect, so the actual impact can only be assessed once the specific details of the housing supply are finalized.”
Yeomchang Park serves as a test case for the government’s “speed campaign” for public housing sites outlined in this policy, but land compensation is seen as a key variable. This is because the entire project site consists of privately owned land. According to Gangseo District, there are currently about five to six landowners. Ownership structures have also changed over the 20 years the project has been stalled.
If negotiations with landowners over compensation drag on while the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) secures the land, it could affect the government’s proposed construction start date. In particular, since it has been confirmed that the buildings and sites have continued to be maintained even after the businesses closed, negotiations regarding the level of compensation for the land and structures are likely to determine the pace of the project.
The new public housing sites announced by the government today include this location, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province (4,500 households), and downtown Namyangju (27,100 households)—a total of 27,000 households. Although Yeomchang Park is the smallest in scale at 1,000 households, it has a better starting point than other project sites because it is a new housing site in central Seoul that the local government welcomes.
Jin Gyo-hun, Mayor of Gangseo District, stated, “The development project on the degraded land of Yeomchang Neighborhood Park is both a starting point for balanced regional development and the fruit of the long-held aspirations of residents,” adding, “We will spare no effort in providing administrative support to ensure the project proceeds without a hitch.”
