Ilwon Hansol Apartment. [Provided by Gangnam-gu]
Ilwon Hansol Apartment. [Provided by Gangnam-gu]

Gangnam-gu in Seoul has cut the approval period for reconstruction promotion committees from the statutory 30-day limit to just 10 days, streamlining administrative procedures from the earliest stages of projects by overhauling its permit review process.

The district issued an approval certificate Wednesday for the association establishment promotion committee of the Ilwon Hansol Apartment reconstruction project — 10 days after receiving the application and 20 days ahead of the legal deadline. The promotion committee approval for Daechi Sunkyung Apartment is also being processed within the same timeframe, with the district set to issue that certificate Thursday.

The faster turnaround stems from administrative improvements made through the "Gangnam Reconstruction Acceleration and Harmony (Sinhwa) Project." Earlier, the project plan implementation approval for Eunma Apartment was processed in about 40 days after application. The district replaced its previous sequential review system — in which officials examined documents one after another — with a "team-based integrated review system" in which multiple officials review documents simultaneously, cutting wait times and speeding up processing.

Procedures following committee approval will also move quickly. For Ilwon Hansol Apartment, once the promotion committee submits an action plan addressing feedback from relevant departments, the district plans to request a maintenance plan decision from the Seoul Metropolitan Government in August. Daechi Sunkyung Apartment is working toward a maintenance plan decision announcement in September. The district plans to provide close support to both complexes through the public support system until they receive association establishment approval.

Reconstruction projects at other complexes in Ilwon-dong are also gaining momentum from the outset. Sangroksu Apartment completed the consent form verification and serial numbering required to apply for promotion committee approval Wednesday and has begun collecting resident consent forms. Cheongsol Village plans to request that the Seoul Metropolitan Government initiate a maintenance plan decision in September, after completing a public review of resident feedback.

The district will provide step-by-step support for key reconstruction procedures, including promotion committee approvals and association establishment approvals. Legal and accounting consultations through an expert support team, as well as resident dispute mediation, will run in parallel. The district aims to reduce factors that delay projects — such as administrative bottlenecks and disputes — from the earliest stages.

"Residents who have long waited for reconstruction must be able to feel the change in administration through the actual pace of their projects," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said. "We will boldly cut unnecessary procedures and wait times, and the district will move first at every stage of reconstruction to deliver concrete results."

Kim signed the "Gangnam Reconstruction Acceleration and Harmony (Sinhwa) Project" — a comprehensive plan for expediting reconstruction and redevelopment — as his first official act on July 1, his first day in office. The project aims to cut permit processing times by more than 30 percent and shorten project timelines by at least two years through intensive management of delayed sites. Gangnam-gu currently has 103 urban renewal projects underway, including 53 reconstruction projects as well as remodeling and redevelopment initiatives. A progress board tracking each project site has been installed in the district mayor's office.


cook@heraldcorp.com