Seoul’s High-Rise Race: Candidates Promise Massive Urban Redevelopments

Daniel Kim 2026.05.29 Views

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Early voting for the 9th nationwide local elections is now just one day away. Candidates from both major parties competing for Seoul district mayor positions are focusing on high-rise, high-density development plans they say will boost the city’s competitiveness. The proposals aim to restore housing, commercial and office functions in aging neighborhoods and to strengthen efforts to attract industry.

Incumbent district mayors are seeking re-election in areas with concentrated aging apartment stock — including Dobong and Seongbuk in northern Seoul — and in parts of Gangnam such as Gangseo, Yangcheon and Gangdong. They argue that re-election would allow them to continue the mixed-use development projects initiated during the eighth municipal term.

Dobong’s ‘Seoul Arena,’ Seongbuk’s ‘Jeongneung Bus Garage Mixed-Use Project’

The northern sector of Seoul, which accounts for roughly 40% of the city’s land area and about 43% of its population, has seen returning incumbents center their campaigns on mixed-use redevelopment. Their pitch: transform aging urban areas into large cultural and commercial complexes to strengthen Seoul’s standing as a global city.

Dobong — a major bedroom community in the north — plans to redevelop the Chang-dong area into \”K-Enter Town, Chang-dong,\” anchored by the Seoul Arena set to open in May next year, according to incumbent People Power Party candidate Oh Eon-seok. The city has approved a floor-area ratio of up to 1,300% for land near Chang-dong Station. Oh says he will introduce commercial, tourism, lodging and office space to stimulate the local economy once the arena opens.

He aims to secure roughly 700 hotel rooms through development of the Chang-dong Station mixed-transfer center, the NH mixed commercial facility, and support parcels for the Seoul Digital Bio City (S-DBC). Oh expects construction to begin on a tower up to 49 stories on the Hanaro Mart site adjacent to the Seoul Arena in the first half of next year. He also proposed creating a hanok village on the former chemical unit site to reinforce local identity and tourism appeal.

In Seongbuk, incumbent Democratic Party candidate Lee Seung-ro is seeking a third term and has pledged to redevelop the Jeongneung public bus garage into a mixed-use complex. Four of the district’s six bus depots are clustered around Jeongneung 4-dong, producing ongoing complaints about noise, exhaust and dust. On April 29, Lee visited the site of the Jeongneung bus garage project with Seoul mayoral candidate Jung Won-oh and pledged to create mixed-use facilities with amenities for residents such as a swimming pool and fitness center.

Gangseo, Yangcheon Advance Mixed Housing Projects… Gangdong Calls for Partial Green Belt Release

In southwest Seoul, incumbent mayors in Gangseo and Yangcheon running for re-election have made high-density development and urban public-housing mixed-use projects their central pledges. These initiatives, typically led by public agencies like the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), relax floor-area restrictions in aging urban neighborhoods to encourage redevelopment.

Incumbent Democratic candidate Jin Gyo-hoon plans a major urban public housing mixed-use project in Hwagok-dong centered on Magok, a flagship mixed-development area in Seoul. He proposes supplying 5,580 housing units on land near the Hwagok 2-dong community center and creating a park over the nearby Gukhoe-daero that would be eight times the size of Seoul Plaza. In October, the Gangseo District Office is scheduled to move from Hwagok-dong to Magok-dong; the vacated site will be converted into a public mixed cultural facility.

Jin said that during the eighth municipal term, officials confirmed the potential to ease height restrictions around Gimpo International Airport, passed preliminary feasibility studies for relocating the fire vehicle depot and the construction-waste facility, began work on the Daejang–Hongdae line, and advanced plans for the Gangbuk transverse line. He added that to build a \”Greater Gangseo,\” he will complete a balanced-growth city where Magok — an innovation-economy hub blending AI and advanced industrial technology — and the old downtown prosper together.

Incumbent People Power candidate and Yangcheon District Mayor Lee Gi-jae pledged to redevelop the site vacated by the Sinjeong vehicle depot into an office and commercial district. He envisions it as a core hub for a \”work-close-to-home\” city that minimizes commute distances, reorganizing the area into a high-density mixed-use district centered on offices and commercial facilities.

In Gangdong, where redevelopment and reconstruction debates have intensified, incumbent People Power candidate Lee Su-hee listed converting long-term rental apartments to for-sale units and partially releasing the Dunchon–Sangil-dong gateway green belt among her top pledges.

Lee argued that to make Gangdong — home to about 500,000 residents — self-sustaining, partial green belt release and mixed-use development are essential. She said she will support rapid progress on redevelopment projects in Myeongil-dong and Cheonho and Seongnae-dong, and back remodeling programs for aging apartments.

As part of follow-up measures to national real estate policy, the government lifted green belt protections in November 2024 for some areas, including the Seoripul district in Seocho, Seoul, but Gangdong was not included.