Seoul urban redevelopment administrative reforms

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has implemented several measures to accelerate urban redevelopment and housing supply. Through its ‘Rapid Integrated Planning’ initiative, which began in 2021, the city has designated 214 redevelopment zones intended to produce approximately 310,000 housing units. This program has reduced the time required to designate redevelopment zones from roughly five years to approximately two years by providing early-stage administrative support and easing planning regulations.

To further streamline these processes, the city introduced new standards to ensure the designation of public implementers and trust companies is completed within 30 days. These guidelines standardize consultation periods with agencies to 10 days and limit requests for additional documentation to a maximum of two instances to prevent district-level inconsistencies.

Additionally, the Seoul Metropolitan Council is reviewing amendments to oversight procedures for private entrustment projects. Following a Supreme Court ruling, the city aims to transition cost verification from ‘accounting audits’ to ‘project cost settlement inspections,’ allowing both tax accountants and certified public accountants to participate in the oversight of approximately 1 trillion won in annual project costs.