About two-thirds of Seoul residents oppose the idea of using Yongsan Park land for public housing. This sentiment reflects a prevailing belief that the park should be preserved as green space for future generations, regardless of the need for housing supply.
On August 24, the Seoul city government announced the results of a citizen perception survey conducted with 1,000 residents aged 18 and older. The survey found that 63.9% of respondents opposed the construction of public housing in Yongsan Park, nearly double the 32.0% who supported it. The remaining 4.1% were unsure or did not respond.
The intensity of opposition was also notable, with 46.7% of respondents indicating they were "strongly opposed" and 17.2% saying they were "generally opposed." In contrast, 16.7% were "strongly in favor" and 15.3% were "generally in favor."
Opposition was widespread across all age groups and regions. Among age groups, the highest opposition rate was 67.1% among those in their 30s, followed by 66.0% for those aged 70 and older, 64.0% for those aged 18-29, 63.1% for those in their 60s, 61.8% for those in their 40s, and 61.3% for those in their 50s. Regionally, the southeastern area had the highest opposition at 70.3%, followed by the city center at 65.0%, southwestern area at 63.5%, northwestern area at 62.8%, and northeastern area at 60.0%, with all regions exceeding 60% opposition.
The primary reason for opposing public housing was concern over the future value of the park. Among those who opposed, 81.2% cited the potential damage to the park as a short-sighted policy aimed at addressing immediate housing shortages at the expense of future generations.
There were also significant doubts about the effectiveness of the housing supply. 42.3% of respondents expressed concerns that the lengthy process of land return and soil decontamination would hinder rapid housing supply, while 41.9% believed that large-scale housing development would exacerbate urban infrastructure issues, such as traffic congestion.
Conversely, those in favor of public housing cited the need for housing stability for the homeless as their primary reason. 69.3% of supporters indicated that expanding public housing would contribute to housing stability for those without homes. Additionally, 56.1% believed that providing public housing instead of private development would enhance public interest, and 44.3% noted the potential to utilize the prime location in downtown Seoul.
Awareness of Yongsan Park among residents was high, with 90.3% reporting they were familiar with the park. Furthermore, 75.3% were aware of the "Yongsan Park Creation Special Act," which prohibits housing construction and commercial development within the park.
The Seoul city government plans to use the survey results as foundational data in discussions with the government regarding the direction of Yongsan Park's development and the city's housing supply policies.
“This survey confirms that, apart from the need for housing supply, there is a broad consensus among citizens on the need to preserve the public value of Yongsan Park,” said Ahn Dae-hee, the director of future space planning for Seoul. “We will carefully consider the concerns and demands expressed in both the opposition and support to ensure that Yongsan Park becomes an open public space that future generations can enjoy.”
The survey was conducted by Case Study Research from August 20 to 23, involving 1,000 Seoul residents through both landline and mobile phone interviews, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points and a response rate of 10.2%.
Earlier, on August 20, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon proposed utilizing nearby areas such as Camp Kim, the Kyungridan area, and the Bank of Korea site for housing supply, rather than the main Yongsan Park site, stating, “If there are available sites, we can discuss them flexibly.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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