New cities to be built south of Seoul

The government is planning to build new cities in three regions south of the metropolitan region.

Officials at the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Tuesday that the construction plan will be announced toward the weekend after consultations with the ruling Millennium Democratic Party. The three regions are the central parts of Pangyo and Hwasung, and Chonan and Asan.

In a mid-to-long-term plan, the government will also promote the construction of large-scale new cities in Paju, Koyang, Uijongbu, southern Kimpo and southwestern Hwasung, the officials said.

The projected construction plan of new cities in the metropolitan area came 11 years after the government announced five new cities, such as Pundang and Ilsan, in April, 1989.

The ministry officials said that the construction of the new towns is necessary to prevent random development of the metropolitan area and to meet the increasing demand for houses.

A ministry official stressed the appropriateness of the new town development plan, saying, ¡°It is impossible to restrict development in suburban regions of Seoul, including quasi-farming lands, for good. Where there is a demand, random development is unavoidable, even if we restrict the development.¡±

The Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements also proposed in a seminar on new city construction that the government begin the development of new cities as soon as possible.

The institute explained that a serious random development rush is expected in some of the regions with high potentials for development, if they are left as they are now.

It also said that the demand for houses for the coming five years is estimated at about 1 million, but only 600,000 can be supplied through redevelopment of existing housing lots, reconstruction of houses and development of new housing lots.

Among the expected places for the new cities are Pangyo of Songnam City and central Hwasung, both in Kyonggi Province.

In Pangyo, some 2.5 million pyong (8.25 million square meters) of land covering Pangyo-dong, Sampyong-dong and Haunsan-dong in Pundang-ku, and Unjung-dong and Sasong-dong in Sujong-ku is expected to be designated as sites for the projected new cities.

In central Hwasung, some 3 million pyong (9.9 million square meters) of land covering the Dongtan-myon area in Hwasung-kun is likely to be developed into a new city.

Other candidates are seven regions, including 6 million pyong (19.8 million square meters) of land in Paju and Koyang, 3 million pyong (9.9 million square meters) of land in the Uijeongbu area, 3 million pyong (9.9 square meters) of land in southern Kimpo, 10 million pyong (33 million square meters) of land in southwestern Hwasung and 8.9 million pyong (29.37 million square meters) of land in Chonan and Asan.

The ministry said that it will work out the basic plan with enough time of about one year and will promote the construction in stages, so that people can move in around in 2005-2006 when the railway and road system in the south of the metropolitan area is completed.