It’s in the middle of Seoul, but there are no 1 billion apartments… Why are the residents of Changsin-dong angry?

Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, had a year unrelated to the’real estate frenzy’ that struck Seoul in 2020. Considering its location in the middle of Seoul, there is a law of 1 billion won apartments, but it has not yet appeared. Even last month, when Dobong-gu, which was the worst in the trend of rising apartment prices in Seoul, joined the ‘1 billion club (based on 30 pyeong),’ no more than 1 billion KRW transactions (based on the actual transaction price reported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) were made in Changsin-dong.

Changsin-dong is thus neglected in the real estate market because the surrounding environment is aging. Changsin Brownstone, completed in 2006, is the last to move into the apartment. Kang Dae-sun, Changsin-dong, chairman of the Public Redevelopment Promotion Committee, said, “The surrounding sewer or sewage pipes are already dead, and wastewater or dirt has penetrated into the ground.”

The population is also on the rise. Chairman Kang said, “The number of students at the nearby Changsin Elementary School is about 400 in total. Ten years ago, there were 2,000,” and said, “The 400 who are now are children of people living in nearby Sungin-dong.”

Conflicts with the city of Seoul over regional development policies are also intensifying. On the 10th, the Changsin-dong Public Redevelopment Promotion Committee visited Seoul City Hall for protest in connection with the urban regeneration project. After delivering the protest, a one-man protest was held. This is because of the backlash against the recent in-depth investigation on the Changsin·Songin Regeneration Project.

In a letter of protest, the promotion committee distorted the survey sample saying, “There was no prior notice or notice that the survey was conducted to the residents,” and “People who do not know urban regeneration cannot participate.” The data were organized in a biased manner,” he argued. On the 9th, there was a flurry when a survey company refused to survey residents who rebelled against the content of the survey.

The question pointed out that the Promotion Committee was organized in a biased manner is the 6th question, entitled’Who do you think was the driving force in the process of the Changsin·Songin Urban Regeneration Project? According to the questionnaire, there are two responses: “Local resident No. 1” and “Public institution No. 2 (Seoul City, Autonomous District SH Corporation)”.

Chairman Kang said, “It makes no sense for the residents to ask the subject of the project, even though they do not know the substance of urban regeneration,” he said. “The residents who think the question itself is the’resident is the owner’ are inevitable to answer that it is the resident.”

The fact that 5 pages of the questionnaire consisting of 8 pages included photos emphasizing the excellence of urban regeneration projects is another factor that Changsin residents oppose. A resident who participated in the questionnaire answered, “What do you think of promoting the project to make a quarry famous?” An official from Seoul said, “I met the residents and explained the situation, and I told them that there was a misunderstanding.”

A resident who participated in the survey pointed out, “Does painting on the wall of the neighborhood make the old building better?”

Changsin Soongin New Town, which includes Changsin-dong, was the first to cancel the new town project in Seoul in 2013. In 2014, the following year, it was selected as the nation’s No. 1 Urban Regeneration Project District, but conflicts with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the competent ward offices are repeating. The promotion committee said, “Changsin-dong residents were unilaterally regenerated by the city of Seoul, and they lived in a slumed environment for 7 years regardless of the residents’ will.”

Changsin-dong, which was eliminated from the public redevelopment pilot project contest selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, plans to continuously promote public redevelopment while continuing to obtain resident consent.

Chairman Kang said, “I have lived here for 50 years, but the distance from my high school days remains the same,” and said, “I will vote for the candidate who’will abolish the urban regeneration project’ in the Seoul mayoral election.”

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