Jongno-gu District Office is launching a public-private partnership to help residents legalize their buildings at no cost while preserving the district's traditional hanok architecture.
The district signed an MOU with the Jongno-gu Architects Association (chairman Kim Myeong-geun) on Wednesday to operate a dedicated support center for irregular buildings and provide hanok construction assistance, with licensed architects handling everything from initial consultations to design work.
The agreement was drawn up in line with a special act on the regularization of specific buildings set to take effect Dec. 17. The district plans to open the support center ahead of the law's implementation and simultaneously work to conserve and revitalize hanok, which it regards as a prized local asset.
The Jongno-gu Architects Association will station professional consulting architects at the center and provide free legalization support for vulnerable residents. The arrangement is expected to significantly ease the design and agency fees that basic livelihood recipients and jeonse fraud victims face when navigating the regularization process.
The district will back the partnership by setting up a dedicated space for the support center on the 11th floor of the district office main building, supplying materials needed for joint consultations, and streamlining administrative procedures so residents can complete the entire process in one place.
Jongno-gu also intends to capitalize on its concentration of hanok. The district will offer repair and renovation consulting for existing hanok and encourage new hanok construction to keep the tradition alive, with the goal of shaping a distinctive urban landscape rooted in history and culture while boosting the area's brand value.
"By working with the Jongno-gu Architects Association, which shares our vision, we are now able to provide tailored administrative services to residents who have long faced difficulties," district mayor Yoo Chan-jong said. "We will continue to do our utmost to protect residents' property rights and preserve Jongno's unique and beautiful hanok culture."
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