A street in the Moatown pilot district in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. [Herald Business DB]
A street in the Moatown pilot district in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. [Herald Business DB]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will fully disclose information on canceled zones within Moatown and fast-track integrated planning candidate sites. The move aims to prevent confusion in which properties in withdrawn project areas continue to be traded as if development were still planned, and to block harm from speculative false listings.

The city announced Tuesday that it has drawn up a "resident guidance guideline" for canceled zones among Moatown and fast-track integrated planning candidate sites, to take effect immediately on Wednesday.

Under the existing framework, Moatown projects were subject to legal procedures only from the point of management plan approval, while fast-track integrated planning projects triggered formal procedures only upon designation as a redevelopment zone — meaning candidate sites at earlier stages carried no separate public notice obligation. As a result, concerns had been raised that even after a project was withdrawn, the area could still be mistakenly known as a development zone, leading to real estate transactions based on false assumptions.

The city had previously notified district offices of cancellation outcomes, but decided to establish a formal information system targeting residents and real estate agencies to reduce blind spots in information access.

Under the new guideline, all district offices must post cancellation information on their websites and in their official district bulletins. The city will also create a dedicated cancellation board on its redevelopment project portal, Jeongbi Saeopjeongbomongttang, a comprehensive redevelopment project information platform, so that anyone can check cancellation status.

Promotional materials such as banners and posters left standing within canceled project zones will also be cleared. The city will notify project organizers to remove such materials voluntarily, and district offices will be authorized to remove them directly if no organizer exists or if the organizer fails to act.

Brokerage procedures will also be tightened. When licensed real estate agents handle listings within Moatown or fast-track integrated planning target sites or candidate sites, they must first verify the zone's current status with the relevant district office or the city before introducing the property to clients. If needed, agents may confirm details by phone with the relevant district office's project division.

The city plans to work with the Korea Association of Realtors to improve on-site guidance so that properties within canceled zones are accurately described during brokerage transactions.

"We will strengthen on-site management to ensure that well-meaning citizens are not harmed by delays in sharing information about canceled redevelopment projects," said Myeong No-jun, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Housing Bureau. "We will guarantee the public's right to know and establish a sound real estate brokerage order through transparent and accurate information."


quq@heraldcorp.com