New Town Projects

The concept of the ‘New Town’ in Korea’s development goes back to the Park Chung Hee administration. The term used from the early 70s, Saemaeul Undong, is usually translated as ‘New Village Movement’ and sometimes as ‘New Town Movement’, depending on the context. I find the former more literal. maeul is often used as a direct equivalent to the English concept of a rural village, and the movement was largely focused on revitalizing Korea’s rural communities.

At least one research paper recognizes five phases of New Town development beginning in 1962. That’s an interesting read, but my focus has been on a specific set of New Town projects announced in the early 2000s.

These projects were focused exclusively within Seoul. They were aimed at correcting an imbalance between Gangnam and other parts of the city. When Gangnam was desginated as a major focus of development in the 1970s, development in other areas had been restricted. As a result, housing prices in Gangnam skyrocketed while housing in other areas deteriorated. Gangnam saw more cultural properties and medical facilities constructed.

The imbalance was exacerbated in the late 80s and early 90s when the government began developing New Towns in the greater Seoul area, outside of the city’s borders. This resulted in towns like Ilsan and Bundang, where new apartments went up and became the next choice for residents unable to afford or find property in Gangnam and unwilling to consider the underdeveloped areas.

In 2002, the Seoul government designated three projects as part of a pilot New Town program:

• Eunpyeong
• Gireum
• Wangsimni

This was followed in 2003 by a list of 12 New Town projects:

• Donuimun
• Hannam
• Jeonnong/Dapsimni
• Junghwa
• Mia
• Gajaeul
• Ahyeon
• Sinjeong
• Banghwa
• Yeongdeungpo
• Noryangjin
• Cheonho

11 more projects were added in 2005:

• Imun/Hwigyeong
• Jangwi
• Sanggye
• Susaek/Jeungsan
• Bukahyeon
• Siheung
• Singil
• Heukseok
• Sillim
• Goyeo/Macheon
• Changsin/Sungin

Some of the projects have been completed and others are in varying stages of development. The Hannam New Town project, for example, was stuck in the planning phase due to multiple disputes between the stakeholders, developers, and the city government, until November of 2023, when the resident relocation period began.

Additional Resources

• The New Town projects article at Seoul Solution goes into some detail about the above projects.
• The Inter-American Development Bank published a PDF called ‘Korea’s Pursuit for Sustainable Cities through New Town Development: Implications for LAC’. This is the paper I mention above that recognizes five distinct phases of New Town development. Here’s a direct link to the PDF.

Mike from Korea References

• Seoul Vlog: Exploring Sanggye-dong - This video shows the designated zones of the Sanggye New Town Project where development had not yet begun as of the recording date. Two zones had been completed by then.
• These Seoul Neighborhoods will Never Be the Same Again - This video looks at some of the designated zones of the Hannam New Town Project in the neighborhoods of Hannam-dong and Bogwang-dong. As of the recording date, resident relocation had begun in Zone 3, the first of the zones to reach that stage.
• Why Southern Itaewon Became a Ghost Town - This video is on the iGoBart channel, not mine, but I’m in it. Bart invited me to walk with him through Bogwang-dong, part of the Hannam New Town project, to talk about my memories of the neighborhood and provide my take on the redevelopment.