Incheon Metropolitan City to Develop Songdo Amusement Park as a Global Cultural Complex Hub

Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it will transform Songdo Amusement Park, excluding the Booyoung site in Dongchun-dong and Okryeon-dong, Yeonsu-gu, into a global cultural complex hub to expand leisure spaces for citizens and create eco-friendly residential complexes.
The city revealed on the 30th that it will begin block-by-block development projects in accordance with the Songdo Amusement Park Renaissance Master Plan announced in December last year and the 2024 revision of the Incheon Urban Master Plan, aiming to reconstruct approximately 2.64 million square meters (about 800,000 pyeong) of the Songdo Amusement Park area into a futuristic urban space.
The comprehensive plan targets eight blocks and adopts an integrated urban planning approach to develop Songdo Amusement Park as a global cultural complex hub. The project intends to expand leisure spaces and eco-friendly residential areas, revive the park’s history and memories, supplement the functions of the old downtown, and enhance the role of Songdo International City.
The city previously identified the approximately 280,000-pyeong Booyoung-owned site, where development has been delayed for an extended period, as a core area and proposed securing public facilities by reorganizing the urban space.
Key points include: Booyoung separating the urban development and theme park projects; proceeding with urban development through a pre-negotiation system; providing land to the city as a public contribution based on negotiation outcomes; and the city developing the site into a multi-purpose cultural and tourism hub for citizens.
However, Booyoung argued that the city's demands for public contributions were excessive, refused to comply, and delayed the project without fulfilling the order to remediate contaminated soil. As a result, the city officially notified Booyoung of the end of negotiations on October 2.
Accordingly, of the eight blocks (800,000 pyeong) in the Songdo Amusement Park area, the two blocks (about 300,000 pyeong) under Booyoung's project will proceed according to the existing approved plan, while the remaining six blocks (about 500,000 pyeong) will be developed in earnest by Incheon Metropolitan City under the Songdo Amusement Park Renaissance Master Plan.
For Block 1, the OCI Retention Basin, the landfill project for waste lime, which began at the end of 2003, was completed in September after 22 years. By December 2027, the city will construct a sports complex and other facilities on top, creating a recreational space for citizens.
For Block 2, around Songdo Quarry, Incheon Housing and City Development Corporation (iH) began a study in September on designating it as an urban development zone and formulating a development plan, specifying the development direction and land use. An eco-bridge and park will be created here. For Block 3, a proposal to designate it as an urban development zone was submitted in July, and administrative procedures such as consultations with related agencies are underway. The plan is to attract residential complexes and specialized industries.
For Block 4, the former Songdo Amusement Park site, a private developer is preparing documents to propose it as an urban development zone. A cultural complex lake park and medium- to low-density residential complexes will be created here. Block 7, Dongchun District 3, is currently used for warehouses and other purposes, but future redevelopment and repurposing are under review, with plans for a low-density eco-friendly residential complex.
For Block 8, the Aam Lake Waterfront Complex, detailed business plans are being prepared, including participation in a public project to create a marine leisure tourism city in connection with Songdo Waterfront.
Lee Chul, Director of Urban Planning, stated, “The Songdo Amusement Park Renaissance Master Plan is not merely a redevelopment, but an urban regeneration project that restores cultural and recreational spaces to citizens’ daily lives. We aim to enhance urban competitiveness and expand green and cultural spaces to significantly improve the quality of life for citizens.”
kapsoo@fnnews.com Han Gap-soo Reporter