Minister Byeon “The Seoul Station side room business is legal”… Residents “I will give a few pennies and drive out 90% of the residents”

On the 14th, a banner installed by the Huam Special Zone 1 (Dongja) Preparatory Promotion Committee, which opposes the public housing district project plan, is hung on the outer wall of a building in Dongja-dong Jikbangchon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. [연합뉴스]

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Byeon Chang-heum said, “If the plan is disclosed before public announcement, it is a felony punishment under the criminal law. It was impossible to discuss in advance,” he explained. However, the owners of land and buildings in the region are fiercely protesting, saying, “It is a treatment to expel 90% (most) of the residents with a few pennies.”

On the 5th day following the announcement of the ‘2·4 housing supply plan’, the government announced’the plan to promote the Seoul Station sidebang village maintenance project’. It is a plan to designate this area as a small-scale development project under the Special Public Housing Act, to forcefully accept the land regardless of the consent of the residents, to promote a maintenance project, and to supply 2410 households (1450 public housing units, 960 units sold in private). However, the owners of land and buildings in the region exclaimed, saying, “The government made a surprise announcement without prior consent or opinion collection.” As the controversy spread, Minister Byeon appeared on a broadcast on the 13th and explained that “advance notice is following the legally prohibited public housing district designation procedure.”

The’legal procedure’ referred to by Minister Byun is in accordance with the’Public Housing District Security Management Guidelines’ enacted in 2018, and “It is necessary to maintain the security of the relevant contents from the discovery of the project candidate until the public inspection of the district designated residents (listening opinions). They will be punished by imprisonment for up to 2 years or suspension of qualifications for up to 5 years.”

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs also said on the 9th, “Before the resident public inspection, it was not possible to obtain prior consent from the residents because it could not be disclosed.” In addition to the collection, we plan to collect and promote sufficient opinions through continuous communication with resident information sessions and resident councils.”

However, the Hu-Am Special Plan Zone 1 (Dongja) Preparation Promotion Committee, composed of land and building owners in the region, is still resisting the repeated clarifications of Minister Byeon and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. The promotion committee emphasized on the 14th that “the government’s way of conducting business in which the government did not hear the opinions of the residents in advance is illegal,” and “requires a complete cancellation of the project plan.”

Residents of the Huam Special District 1 opposing the government plan to take the land forcibly. [추진위 제공]

Currently, in the area of ​​Dongja-dong Jikbangchon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, there are banners posted by residents who oppose the government’s plan. An official from the promotion committee said, “After the government’s clarification, more residents are angry.”

The government is promising sufficient compensation to local building and land owners. On the 9th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “We plan to compensate the building and land owners in this area with an appraisal price taking into account the current transaction price”. “Apart from compensation, public or private pre-sale housing for residents of the business district among building and land owners. “We plan to give priority supply rights (prices excluding basic living facilities installation costs from the pre-sale price), and special supply rights for public pre-sale housing to residents outside the business district if they are homeless.”

However, the promotion committee said, “Because the Huam Special Zone 1 has been restricted to development for several decades, about 90% of the residents (estimated by the Promotion Committee) relocate to other areas and live in other areas because of the deterioration of the surrounding environment.” Buildings and landlords are less than 10%, and the government has set up a cash settlement policy for landowners who do not live in real life.”

A resident who owns a house in the area said, “If I am paid for cash, I cannot get a new apartment and I have to buy another house. How can I accept the situation where I have to sell my house cheaply and pay the transfer tax and acquisition tax?”

Minister Byeon said on the day, “The Seoul Station Jikbangchon project is a method of designating a public housing district according to the Special Public Housing Act, and this is a method of applying the Yeongdeungpo Jikbangchon project, which is considered as a success case,”. Accordingly, an official from the Promotion Committee argued, “In the case of Yeongdeungpo sidebangchon, 40% of the commercial facilities were public land,” and “It is not correct to compare with ours, which are mostly private lands.”

Minister Byeon also said, “In the case of’Seoul Station Sidebangchon’, unless it is a public housing district method, migration measures and business and development itself are impossible.” As it is possible to live with rent, the response is very high, so the landlord and landlord will also proceed with sufficient compensation and persuasion.”

However, an official from the promotion committee said, “We were steadily pursuing private redevelopment with Yongsan-gu, and had no intention to drive out the residents of the side of the room. We tried to build public rental housing for them by selling them to the private sector. The government bought expensive land at a low price. It can only be understood as going to do business in the land,” he argued.

Kwon Young-se, an official in the People’s Power of the People’s Office in this region, said, “As announced in the 2·4 measures, if the floor area ratio is raised, redevelopment is possible in a private way, but I don’t know why the government will go out without consent. It should be done,” he stressed.

Reporter Kim Won [email protected]