Full Breakdown
Seoul’s Yongsan Park Standoff: Green Space vs. Housing
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Conflict Over Yongsan Park
President Lee Jae-myung has proposed building apartment towers on a portion of the former military base slated to become Yongsan Park, a 300-hectare green space near the Han River. Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul has rejected the plan, insisting that “not one centimetre” of the park can be sacrificed for apartments. The dispute pits the central government’s effort to expand housing supply against the city’s push to preserve urban greenery.
Background & Context
Seoul’s density of 16,000 people per square kilometre creates simultaneous pressures on housing and green space. Apartment prices have risen for 86 consecutive weeks through early September, while 60 percent of residents live in apartments. The Yongsan site, once a Japanese-colonial and later U.S. military facility, has been earmarked for conversion to public parkland after more than a century of military use.
Data & Statistics
- Population density: 16,000 people/km².
- Apartment-price streak: 86 weeks of increase (Korea Real Estate Board).
- Presidential approval: 37 percent (Sept. 18 Gallup Korea poll).
- Housing-supply gap: Permits and starts are roughly half of previous levels (presidential office).
- Green-space per capita: Seoul residents enjoy only one-quarter the greenery that Londoners do.
Official Statements & Responses
The presidential office referred detailed questions to the Land Ministry. Mayor Oh highlighted Seoul’s “city of water and mountains” character and the daily shortage of accessible green space.
Criticism & Opposition
Mayor Oh blames the Lee administration’s tighter loan regulations and higher taxes for worsening the housing crisis, saying the policies “disproportionately hurt young, first-time buyers.” President Lee accused the Seoul government of failing to deliver permits, noting that construction activity has been cut in half since Oh’s 2021 election. Both leaders cite the Yongsan dispute as emblematic of broader tensions between national housing targets and local livability goals.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Construction on the Yongsan site would require a National Assembly amendment to lift the park’s legal protection, yet no timeline has been provided. The Land Ministry’s commitment to “explore” the area hinges on achieving “public consensus,” a condition that remains undefined. No definitive decision on whether any portion of the park will be developed has been announced.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We still have disagreements with the government over Yongsan Park,” — Mayor Oh
- “Regarding the proposal to utilize the Tancheon Water Recycling Center as an alternative for housing supply in Yongsan Park, Mayor Oh explained, "Yongsan Park and the greenbelt are green spaces that must be preserved for future generations.” — Mayor Oh
What’s Next
The Land Ministry indicated that any housing component will move forward only after a public consensus is reached, and that legislative amendment by the National Assembly is required to alter the park’s protected status. The government’s August 13 measures to adjust mortgage regulations and tax policy are being reviewed alongside the Yongsan proposal, but no concrete schedule for either the legislative change or the park’s final development plan has been set.