Yongsan Park housing plan reverses Central Park pledge and could set precedent for eroding large parks

If the plan becomes reality, other large parks in Seoul may also be floated as housing development candidates.

Experts warn of the ripple effects this decision could have on Seoul's future urban planning, since Yongsan Park could become the first case of such a dangerous precedent.

During the election, President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to fully open Yongsan National Park to citizens and turn it into a rest space comparable to New York's Central Park. The promise raised great expectations among many citizens.

However, the government is now reviewing plans to build apartments within the Yongsan Park site, contrary to that pledge, which has led to questions and criticism about whether the president will keep his promise.

Yongsan Park covers about 900,000 pyeong in total, an area far larger than Yeouido. Being state-owned land in the heart of Seoul, it offers the government very attractive conditions for housing land.

Above all, the near absence of land-purchase compensation costs is seen as a major advantage for the government. Its central location with strong transport and job access also adds to its value as a housing site.

This is seen as reflecting the government's intent to curb speculative demand and give genuine users housing opportunities.

However, there is an important issue to resolve before housing supply can proceed. The former US military base site must undergo soil contamination remediation after it is returned, and this process will require considerable time and cost.

Only about 31.5% of the main Yongsan Park site is scheduled to be returned by September 2024. The current special act on creating Yongsan Park principally bars converting or disposing of the main site for non-park uses by designating it as a national park. Supplying housing would therefore require a complex legal process, beginning with amending the special act.

Also important is that the scope and duration of soil remediation for the returned US military base land have not yet been determined. If extensive remediation is needed, the housing plan could be delayed for a long time, undermining its feasibility..

Concern is growing that the political argument for using Yongsan Park for housing could spread to other parks. This logic could extend to large parks in Seoul such as Yeouido Park, Seoul Children's Grand Park, World Cup Park and Seoul Forest, and even to calls for using Dongjak National Cemetery as public housing land.

If Yongsan Park is developed despite the protection of its special act, it would set a bad precedent that other specially protected parks could likewise be developed at any time. This carries the potential risk that major green spaces used by Seoul citizens could be damaged.