37.54 Million Pyong Area Will Be Released from Green Belt Zone

37.54 million pyong area will be freed from the restriction of greenbelt zone, including 790,000 pyong in Seoul and 3.85 million pyong in Koyang, 3.73 million pyong in Siheung, and 3.31 million pyong in Namyangju, Kyonggi.

17.4 million pyong of the released area will be used for the construction of 300,000 residential units, anticipating a breakthrough in solving the housing problem in the Capital city area. The newly assigned residential area is larger than the sum of 5 new satellite cities around Seoul including Seungnam, Bundang, Goyang, and Ilsan.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation released the Metropolitan City Development Plan of the Capital City Area yesterday and will have a hearing today for the plan including the annulment of the greenbelt zone in such areas.

Central City Development Plan Committee will finalize the decision after collecting public opinions from urban development experts and civic environmental organizations at the hearing.

According to the plan, the 37.54 million pyong area includes 11.58 million pyongs of 655 residential areas, 19.82 million pyongs of 130 adjustable natural green zones, 3.08 million pyongs of 12 government projects, including 11 national lease house project, and 3.06 million pyongs for 26 local projects such as the construction site for a crematorium in Seocho.

The residential areas include all the areas that have over 20 households and the density of the households is over 10 per hectare ( 100 households and 20 per hectare in Seoul), and their property rights will be fully restored right after the new policy is implemented in August.

The area released from the restriction will include 70 percent of the total residential areas in the greenbelt zone, anticipating the big drop of the civil complaints about the restriction of the construction or repair of houses.

The government project areas include 2.67 million pyongs of the 11 national lease house projects and 400,000 pyongs of the construction of the Kwangmyong Express Railroad Station.

The 26 local projects including the move of Sanbong Bus Terminal and the Seobu Driving Test Center are not yet confirmed.

This plan includes the measure to transfer the mono-nucleus structure of the Capital city area to the multi-nucleus structure centered in 7 base cities. The first base cities (Incheon and Suwon) and the second base cities (Paju, Dongducheon, Pyongtaek, Namyangju, Icheon) will be developed focusing on the functions and characteristics of the base cities.

Ja-Ryong Koo bonhong@donga.com