When completed, the Jeju Citizen Welfare Town will have 1,200 new public housing units. The province is now waiting for approval from the land ministry.
Joseph Kim reports.
[Slug] Jeju Citizen Welfare Town in Donam-dong

With a budget of 120 billion won, the Jeju Citizen Welfare town project was created in 2006. Part of the project plan was to move Jeju City Hall to the new town, but due to budgetary constraints, the plan was canceled in 2011.


[Slug] 1,200 public housing units to be added

Over the past few years, the provincial government has been wrestling over how to best utilize the public lands. However, the government has recently announced it will build some 1,200 public housing units on the 44,000 square meter section of Donam-dong.


The Jeju Citizen Welfare Town will include 700 apartment units of 45 square meters for students and newlyweds and 80 units for the elderly.
Another 420 rental units and newly-built homes will be available to the general public.


Additionally, the island is considering easing building height restrictions. The current height limit for the area is capped at 30 meters.

INTERVIEW
Kim Seong-su / Representative, Provincial Office
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport sought out plans from local governments for additional public housing. A project plan has been submitted to the ministry.
<인터뷰:김성수/제주도 공동주택 담당>
"이번에 국토부 행복주택 공모가 있었습니다. 여기에 7백세대 정도를 행복주택으로 짓는다는 계획아래 국토부에 신청을 지난달 했습니다."

The local government will draw detailed plans for the project and the Jeju Provincial Development Corporation will implement the project.


The province submitted the project plan to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, where the ministry will select projects of local governments among candidates.

The province will then seek approval of the layout of the building complex, as the design requires the ministry's approval..
Then, after a contractor is selected, construction will begin at the end of next year.


[Camera] Hyeon Gwang-hoon, Kim Seung-cheol
[Reporter] Joseph Kim

The provincial government says that it chose the publicly owned land in Donam-dong for the project mainly due to the soaring cost of land prices over the past few years and the convenient access to services in the area.

However, critics say that the project would remove a green area of 40,000 square meters in a centrally located urban district and it does not fit into the use of public land.

Joseph Kim, KCTV