Oh Se-hoon: “Groundbreaking on 30,000 homes to be completed by Christmas”

[Financial News]“Of the 25 redevelopment sites we have been closely monitoring, 14, covering 15,000 homes, have already begun construction. We will pick up the pace at the remaining 11 and meet our groundbreaking goal by Christmas this year.”Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon made the remarks at a ceremony for a joint cooperation agreement covering 11 redevelopment projects scheduled to break ground in the second half of the year, held at Seoul City Hall on the 13th. “If permitting is the problem, the administration will move first; if construction-cost disputes are the problem, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and district offices will step in and actively help the associations and contractors find reasonable common ground,” he said.
The agreement ceremony was organized to bring together key stakeholders in redevelopment projects to confirm their roles and responsibilities in getting construction underway within the year and jointly address delays at each site. Contractors including Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, GS E&C, SK ecoplant and Lotte E&C attended, along with heads of associations in major areas of Seoul and district officials.
Under the agreement, the Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to turn the 9th popularly elected administration’s key housing policy—breaking ground on 310,000 homes by 2031—into tangible results. To that end, it will further strengthen site-centered schedule management and administrative support. The city plans to identify early the obstacles hindering projects, including construction-cost disputes and delays in permitting, and deliver housing-supply results residents can see through swift administrative support and mediation.
The 11 sites scheduled to break ground in the second half of the year include Hannam 3 District (5,970 homes), Bangbae 13 District (2,228 homes), Sinwol-gok 1 District (2,200 homes), Macheon 4 District (1,254 homes), and Noryangjin Districts 4, 5 and 7.
The associations will speed up preparations for construction through transparent operations and prompt decision-making, while contractors will cooperate by transparently sharing construction-cost information, pursuing reasonable cost reductions, and thoroughly managing safety and quality. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and district offices plan to proactively address obstacles to project implementation through swift permitting, close on-site conflict management and administrative fast-track support.
At the “Special Progress Meeting” held after the agreement ceremony and chaired by Kim Seong-bo, Seoul’s Second Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, officials reviewed progress on the 11 projects scheduled to break ground within the year and discussed site-specific difficulties and potential solutions.
The discussions included disputes over construction-cost adjustments, demolition work and permitting delays. The Seoul Metropolitan Government discussed swift mediation and administrative fast-track support measures for issues raised at the sites.
Since announcing its “Housing Supply Promotion Plan” in July last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has held 22 working-level progress acceleration meetings to review delays at individual redevelopment sites. At the first meeting last July, progress acceleration officers from all 25 district offices took part in a comprehensive review of progress on 85 key housing-supply strategy projects—about 85,000 homes—targeting groundbreaking by 2028. The city plans to continue checking whether key procedures are being completed according to each site’s schedule and, when delays are anticipated, immediately draw up recovery measures to keep groundbreaking on schedule. A Seoul Metropolitan Government official said, “Starting with groundbreaking on 30,000 homes this year, we will meet our goal of breaking ground on 310,000 homes by 2031 without a hitch, restore residents’ confidence in housing supply and accelerate housing stability.”
[email protected] Kwon Jun-ho Reporter