[Edaily Reporter Ham Jung-sun ] While the government has left open the possibility of using Seoul’s Yongsan Park to increase housing supply, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Kim Yun-deok drew a clear line regarding the proposal to build housing directly within the Yongsan Children’s Garden, stating, “It has never been discussed.”

However, he reaffirmed the government’s position that it will continue to review plans to provide housing for young people and newlywed couples by utilizing sites within Yongsan Park that already have buildings or have lost their green space function.

Minister Kim made these remarks on the 26th during the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts’ comprehensive policy questioning, responding to a question from People Power Party Representative Jo Bae-sook, who asked, “There are rumors that housing will be built in the Yongsan Children’s Garden.” Minister Kim replied, “That is not true.”

Minister Kim went on to say, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport’s clear position is that the issue of providing housing—limited to damaged areas within Yongsan Park—must go through a public consultation process.”

This is interpreted as a direct effort to quell growing controversy surrounding the government’s recent plan for housing supply in Yongsan, amid concerns that even the Children’s Garden might be included in the development plans. The government explained that it is not considering converting the entire park or the Children’s Garden itself into residential land, but rather exploring limited use of specific areas where green space functions have already been compromised due to existing structures.

Minister Kim had previously cited the officers’ quarters, military apartments, and the former Defense Acquisition Program Administration site within Yongsan Park as examples of areas where green space functions have been compromised. Even after his first meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 20th, he emphasized the need to provide housing for young people, newlyweds, and families with multiple children, stating, “Our position is that housing can be supplied in areas where buildings have already been constructed and people are living, such as the officers’ quarters.”

He also cautioned against overinterpreting recent remarks by Ha Jun-kyung, Senior Secretary for Economic Growth at the Blue House. Senior Secretary Ha recently raised the need to utilize large-scale sites within the city center, noting that Yongsan Park is not heavily used by the public.

In response, Minister Kim reiterated, “It would be a huge overinterpretation to assume from those remarks that we plan to build homes in children’s playgrounds,” adding, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s position is to open up public discussion on the possibility of supplying housing for young people and newlyweds only on sites that have already been damaged.”

The central government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government have yet to bridge their differences regarding housing development in Yongsan Park. Minister Kim and Mayor Oh held their second meeting this morning to discuss the issue but failed to reach an agreement on how to utilize Yongsan Park. However, the scope of the discussion has broadened, as the government is no longer insisting exclusively on Yongsan Park as a housing site, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government is now proposing alternative sites.

Mayor Oh proposed an alternative plan that day to create a “Southeast Youth-Specialized Industrial Complex,” including a youth housing complex, in the area around the Tancheon Water Recycling Center in Gangnam District. After the meeting, Minister Kim also stated, “There was never a requirement that it had to be Yongsan Park,” indicating that other alternatives could be considered as long as the goal of providing housing for young people and newlyweds is achieved.