Will Geomdan be site of new town?

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Will Geomdan be site of new town?

After the government said it planned to build another satellite city for residents around Seoul, without revealing the site, speculation was rampant.
Now many real estate analysts are citing Geomdan in Incheon on the west coast as a probable site for the new city, after analyzing Construction Minister Choo Byung-jik’s remark that the city will be roughly the size of the Bundang new town and will be 50 to 60 kilometers (31 to 37 miles) away from the capital.
As for other possible sites the same distance from Seoul, such as Icheon, Pocheon and the northeastern part of Yongin in Gyeonggi province, their land areas are not sufficient to have a new town the size of Bundang, which is 1,964 hectares (4,853 acres), analysts said.
In related real estate news, the government may expand another new town project. Analysts say it could be Paju, northwest of Seoul.
Some media reported that the Construction Ministry had nearly reached the decision to develop Geomdan into a new satellite city.
A spokesman for the ministry said, “The new city will be built on one of the sites where new town development projects have already been proposed.”
As for Geomdan, the Incheon city government is promoting a plan to develop the area into a new town. But some analysts express doubts on whether Geomdan, far west of Seoul, can “attract home buyers that prefer southern Seoul” as Mr. Choo said.
The Construction Ministry said it could announce a site as early as Friday.
Meanwhile, the government designated three districts of Seoul ― Gangbuk, Seongbuk of northern Seoul and Gwanak of southwestern Seoul ― as speculation zones.
The government also designated Ojeong district of Bucheon city, southwest of Seoul, and all of Namyangju city, northeast of Seoul, as speculation zones. In speculation zones, capital gains taxes are imposed based on the market price of a house. In ordinary areas, that tax is imposed on the basis of the government-declared price, commonly lower than the market price.
In Seoul, 20 districts are now speculation zones. Gangbuk, Seongbuk and Gwanak districts are specualtion zones even though homes there are only 20 to 30 percent the price of homes in southern Seoul.


by Kim Jun-hyun
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