60,000 Rental Houses to Be Constructed on the 3.76 Million Pyong of Greenbelt-Released Zone

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation announced on the 19th that it would develop public rental house lots of 3.76 million pyong on the 18 sites in Capital areas and metropolitan cities where green belt was removed, and provide around 100,000 houses including 60,000 rental houses, and began to display the future housing sites before the public.

The housing sites are 11 metropolitan areas like Nokyang-dong in Uijeongbu, which was announced in `January 8th residence stabilization measure` along with 7 sites like Dangsa, Cheonggang, Gochon, and Songjeong in Busan, and Yulha and Daegok in Daegu, and Jinwol in Gwangju.

On the housing sites, rental houses and the houses for sale will be constructed in the ratio of 6 to 4 in order to avoid being slummed, and the earmarking the housing sites will be completed in the first half of this year. After completing the development plan in the first half of next year, the Ministry will began to sell in the second half so that moving into the `rental houses on the green belt- released area` can be possible in 2006.

The person who want to rent `the rental house on the green belt-released area` should earn monthly 70 percent as much as city labor

The person, whose monthly income is 70 percent as much as that of city laborers (1.69 million won in 2000) and who has an saving account for subscription, can rent `the rental house on the greenbelt-released area` for 10 years, and the person, whose income is less than 50 percent of city laborers (1.19 million won), for 20 years. Rent for 30 years may be feasible after amending enforcement ordinance of rental house law.

The rental charge will be 40 to 50 percent of deposit money for private apartment in the same area, and monthly charge for the house for 20 years’ rent (exclusive space less than 18 pyong) in Jeongja district in Suwon is fixed at 145,000 won with deposit money of 14.2 million won.

MCT announced that it tried to minimize the influence on environment and to prevent the expansion of city area, as the building sites are under greenbelt. And to help commuting condition, the construction sites were selected within radius of 20 km from Seoul, 10 km from metropolitan cities. MCT announced that it would develop the housing areas considering protection of environment by drawing citizen, environmental bodies, and environmental experts from the stage of appointing the constructing areas.

Kim Hong-Bae chief of Housing Management Division in MCT said, "we will let the rental houses to be rent for maximum 30 years with monthly charge and deposit money at the half of market price so that ordinary people might be relieved from burden due to the shortage of residential houses."

In relation to this plan of the government, `Civil Union for Rescuing Metropolitan Area` which consists of 51 environmental bodies like Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, said, "this plan is counter to the `special measure law for administration and appointment of greenbelt area` which was legislated in 1998. The 11th provision of this law prohibits city plan project of greenbelt area except for the case of blocking the chaotic expansion of city area." And they insisted that qualified development is allowed for only Soha in Gwangmyong and Dochon in Seongnam among 11 districts in Capital area.

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