Land Minister Hong Ji-sun visited the Ilsan new town in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and called for faster progress on redevelopment of South Korea's first-generation new towns. The visit is seen as a sign that the ministry intends to accelerate not only new land development projects such as the third-generation new towns but also the redevelopment of aging planned cities.
Hong reviewed progress on the Ilsan pilot districts and the rebuilding of long-term public rental housing at a community welfare center in the Hindol Village Complex 4 on the 21st, joined by Goyang Mayor Min Kyung-sun and officials from the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH). "Redevelopment of the first-generation new towns is an important task for improving aging residential environments and expanding housing supply in the greater Seoul area," she said. "Progress on the pilot districts in Ilsan has been relatively slow compared with other first-generation new towns, so this is a time when residents need to see visible progress."
In Ilsan, procedures to designate special redevelopment zones are under way, centered on four pilot districts including Hugok, Gangchon, Baeksong and Jeongbal villages. "A review of the benchmark floor area ratio is under way, so I ask Goyang to settle on a reasonable direction for improvement as soon as possible so the projects can pick up speed," Hong said. She added that follow-up steps such as designating special redevelopment zones for the pilot districts should proceed without disruption, and that the ministry would strengthen institutional and administrative support in cooperation with Goyang and LH.
She also asked LH to move quickly on follow-up procedures, including drawing up special redevelopment plans and designating zones, so that the rebuilding of Hindol Village Complex 4, a long-term public rental housing site, can take shape early. Hindol Village Complex 4 is a 1,141-unit permanent rental housing complex completed in 1995, and preliminary procedures are under way for designation as a special redevelopment zone in the first half of 2027.
Hong has been pressing for faster housing supply, visiting the Bucheon Daejang district, a third-generation new town, as her first field trip after taking office, followed by private apartment construction sites and newly built homes purchased for rental housing.