Southwestern Seoul to get high-tech makeover

Social Affairs

Published: 27 Feb. 2024, 18:03

Southwestern Seoul to get high-tech makeover

A view map of an urban air mobility center to be built in Gangseo District [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seven southwestern districts of Seoul will get a significant makeover, with urban air mobility stations, campsites and startup facilities built across the area, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon revealed plans to vamp up the economies, transportation infrastructures and lifestyle facilities of Gangseo, Yeongdeungpo, Guro, Geumcheon, Gwanak, Yangcheon and Dongjak districts in a briefing Tuesday. In particular, Gangseo District’s Gimpo International Airport will be renamed and designated an innovative area, and urban air mobility stations will be built in Gangseo and Yeongdeungpo districts.

When designated an innovative area, the location is prioritized for development under the Special Act on Promotion of and Support for Urban Regeneration.

Gimpo International Airport will be renamed Seoul Gimpo Airport, and the surrounding area will be designated an innovative district. The airport and the Gangseo Agricultural and Fishery Products Market will be combined to create a transportation hub connecting urban air mobility, urban rails and rapid bus transit facilities. Designation as an innovative district will be completed within the year, and construction will begin in 2026.

To accelerate the introduction of urban air mobility, the construction of a vertical takeoff and landing airport (vertiport) in Yeouido will be completed this year. For the project, Hanwha Systems is in charge of the traffic management, while the Korea Airports Corporation will cover the urban air mobility vertiport construction, and SK Telecom is in charge of aircraft and operation.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a briefing on the city's plans to revamp seven southwestern districts of the capital at the City Hall on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

The site of the Air Force base in Geumcheon District, for which development plans have been halted several times, will also finally be developed. The site will be designated a “space innovation zone” free from floor area ratio and use regulations to support high-tech industries and startups.

A comprehensive facility for startups, named the Gwanak S Valley Venture Startup Base, will be created in Gwanak District. An artificial intelligence research complex and startup support resources will be provided. The project is scheduled to begin next year, starting with a feasibility study.

The Guro District Hot Water Industrial Complex will also be accelerated, with the 20-meter (65-foot) height limit abolished and regulations prohibiting individual new construction lifted for the complex to be developed into a high-tech manufacturing space. Additionally, incentives will encourage private sector development of old distribution facilities such as the Guro Machinery & Tool Shopping Center and the Chungang Circulation Complex.

The floor area ratio limit of the seven southwestern districts, previously limited to 250 percent, will be relaxed to a maximum of 400 percent. The purpose is to create residential areas with expanded living infrastructure, such as green space and convenience facilities.

Banghwa-dong, Gayang-dong and Deungchon-dong in Gangseo District and the Mok-dong residential area in Yangcheon District will be developed as high-density residential complexes.

A view map of Gwanak S Valley Venture Startup Base, a comprehensive startup facility to be built in Gwanak District [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

To encourage the revitalization of maintenance projects, the aviation height restrictions for old low-rise residential areas near Gimpo International Airport will be promoted. Seoul Mayor Oh previously met with the chairman of the International Civil Aviation Organizations last September and discussed such measures.

The natural environment of the southwestern region of Seoul will also be improved. The green space between Gungsan and Jungmisan mountains in Gangseo District will be completed by 2026, and rivers such as Bongcheoncheon and Dorimcheon will be ecologically restored. A waterside terrace and campsite will be built near Anyangcheon by next year.

Restructuring projects for Yeouido Park, the National Cemetery and Gwanaksan Mountain Park are also scheduled to begin between 2026 and 2028.

Starting with the southwestern region development plan announced Tuesday, Seoul Metropolitan City will present additional regional development plans in the coming months.

“With the first major urban renovation plan for the southwestern region, we plan to proceed with a series of major renovations in each region to innovate the city,” Oh said.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]