Approval granted in 10 working days, well ahead of the 30-day statutory deadline; 93.93% of landowners and property holders consented. Association approval came eight months after the promotion committee was authorized — with the district channeling reserve funds to support committee formation before the improvement zone was even designated.
Gangnam-gu approved the establishment of a reconstruction association for the Garam apartment complex in Irwon-dong on Monday.
The district processed the application in 10 working days after receiving it on Sept. 22, well ahead of the 30-day statutory deadline.
Garam is the first complex within the Suseo land development district to receive association establishment approval. The Suseo district was cleared for reconstruction projects in August last year, when a revision to the district unit plan took effect. Garam's approval, coming roughly a year and two months later, marks the start of full-scale reconstruction activity in the area.
The swift approval was underpinned by thorough preparation. Before the application was filed, the district had already verified estimated cost contributions and authenticated consent forms. After submission, document review and supplementation proceeded simultaneously to shorten processing time. Of the 511 landowners and property holders eligible to join the association, 480 — or 93.93 percent — gave their consent.
The project gained momentum well before the association was formally approved. Garam received promotion committee authorization on Feb. 9 and completed the association establishment process eight months later. When a 2025 amendment to the Urban Improvement Act allowed promotion committees to be formed before an improvement zone is officially designated, the district did not wait for a regular budget cycle — it tapped reserve funds and launched a public-support service contract in November last year.
The public-support system is one under which the district government covers the costs and procedures residents need to organize a reconstruction promotion committee. Under the arrangement, a redevelopment project management firm selected by the district helped compile the register of landowners and property holders, draft the committee's operating rules, process resident consent forms, and run elections for a preliminary committee chair and auditors.
With that support in place, Garam moved quickly through each stage: promotion committee authorization in February, improvement zone designation in April, a founding general assembly in September, and association establishment approval this month.
Completed in 1993, the Garam complex currently comprises 496 units across five floors. The reconstruction plan calls for a new complex of up to 25 floors with 818 units.
Gangnam-gu plans to extend the public-support model used at Garam to other reconstruction zones. The district has earmarked funding in its first supplementary budget of 2026 to support promotion committee formation in five zones, including Suseo Sindonga and Suseo Samik. The district also intends to run the committee formation process in parallel with the fast-track integrated planning consultation stage, cutting the time needed at the start of a project.
"Garam moved quickly to prepare for the regulatory changes, and residents backed the effort with strong consent," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi said. "As a result, the reconstruction process has advanced at speed. We will keep reducing unnecessary waiting time for residents so they can feel a real difference in how fast these projects move."
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