Jung District, Seoul to overhaul zoning across 5.73 sq km of residential areas, pursue floor-area-ratio rule changes

[Financial News] Seoul’s Jung District is moving to improve building regulations, including floor-area ratios and access to sunlight, following the easing of height restrictions on Namsan. The district plans to overhaul zoning across 5.73 sq km of its residential areas and invest 25.3 billion won in Hoehyeon-dong to improve its aging residential environment.
On the 3rd, Jung District said it had held a “Neighborhood Talk! On-the-Go Briefing on Current Urban Policy Issues in Hoehyeon-dong” at the Hoehyeon-dong Community Service Center on October 29.
In June 2024, height restrictions on Namsan were eased after about 30 years, partially lifting limits on building heights. However, floor-area-ratio limits by zoning category and access-to-sunlight rules remain constraints on housing improvements. The need to improve infrastructure, including narrow roads and insufficient parking, has also been raised.
The briefing was organized to provide updates on major projects, including Hoehyeon New Village and the zoning overhaul, and to explain changes to building regulations and how residents can make use of them. About 40 residents, including neighborhood unit heads from Hoehyeon-dong and representatives of professional associations, attended. Experts from the Jung District Architects Association also provided consultations tailored to individual building conditions.
Jung District is moving ahead in earnest with the Hoehyeon-dong New Village project, which has a total budget of 25.3 billion won. The project will expand roads, parking lots and safety facilities in aging, low-rise residential areas where full-scale redevelopment is difficult. A foundation for the project was established when the amendment to the “Urban Regeneration Revitalization Plan for the Seoul Station Area” was finalized and publicly announced in October.
At the briefing, the district outlined plans to use the sites of the Hoehyeon-dong Community Service Center and Hoehyeon Daycare Center to build a public parking lot and community facilities. It also plans to improve everyday safety by upgrading roads and installing intelligent closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Construction of the Hoehyeon-dong Administrative Complex is also being pursued.
The district is also pursuing improvements to floor-area-ratio regulations. Since May last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been temporarily easing floor-area-ratio limits for small buildings in Type 2 and Type 3 general residential zones for three years. The limit for Type 2 general residential zones has risen from 200% to 250%, and the limit for Type 3 zones from 250% to 300%.
The district is considering adjusting the zoning categories themselves, rather than stopping at temporary easements. In April, it began a study to develop a zoning overhaul plan covering 5.73 sq km of residential areas across Jung District, including Hoehyeon-dong. It plans to analyze land use and building conditions through the first half of next year and discuss zoning adjustments with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Improvements to access-to-sunlight regulations are also being pursued. In July last year, taking into account the topography around Namsan, where the southern areas are higher and the northern areas lower, the district allowed the due-south sunlight standard to be applied instead of the due-north standard when certain requirements are met. From the 12th, an easing of the due-north sunlight standard under the amended Building Act is also scheduled to take effect.
The district also explained a legalization program for certain buildings, allowing noncompliant residential buildings that meet specified requirements to be used legally.
Jung District plans to hold a community briefing on current urban policy issues in Myeong-dong this month, following the first session in Dasan-dong in September, and expand the briefings to every neighborhood in the district next year.
“The easing of Namsan’s height restrictions is the first step toward opening the way to improving residential conditions that have long been constrained,” said Kim Gil-seong, mayor of Jung District, Seoul. “We will continue communicating with residents and steadily tackle follow-up tasks, doing our utmost to bring about changes they can feel in their daily lives.”

[email protected] Choi A-young Reporter