YANGJU — The city of Yangju in Gyeonggi Province will upgrade run-down housing and expand living infrastructure in the old town district of Deokgye-dong through a 2.2 billion won ($1.5 million) improvement project.
The city said on the 15th that Deokgye-dong had been selected for the Living Conditions Improvement Project for Urban Vulnerable Areas, run by the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, and that work on housing conditions will begin next year and run through 2031.
The city will spend a total of 2.2 billion won, including 1.5 billion won in central government funding secured through the competitive selection. Within the Deokgye-dong old town, officials designated Deokgye 8-tong as the first project site because of its high share of vacant and aging homes, positioning the area as a starting point for broader urban regeneration in the district.
Key tasks include clearing vacant and derelict houses and repairing aging homes, upgrading sewer lines to prevent flooding, creating safer alleyways and shared community spaces, and running programs to build residents' capacity. The city plans to convert vacant houses and idle lots into facilities for residents' daily use and to work with local universities and related agencies to make the project sustainable.
The city also plans to use the results in Deokgye 8-tong as a base for gradually widening the scope of improvements to the entire Deokgye-dong old town. Yangju has already begun gathering residents' views, holding a briefing session at the Hoecheon 2-dong community service center and conducting site inspections.
"This selection is an important first step in turning urban regeneration in Deokgye-dong into real change," Yangju Mayor Chung Duck-young said. "We will carry this out without setbacks so that the improvements in living conditions that start in Deokgye 8-tong can spread across all of Deokgye-dong."