An aerial rendering of the planned redevelopment of the former Daegu Prison site in Dalseong-gun. [Dalseong-gun Office]
An aerial rendering of the planned redevelopment of the former Daegu Prison site in Dalseong-gun. [Dalseong-gun Office]

A former prison site cut off from its surrounding community for 50 years is set to be transformed into a mixed-use urban space blending culture, arts, housing and recreation.

Dalseong-gun said Saturday that the Ministry of Economy and Finance's National Property Policy Deliberation Committee granted final approval Thursday for the redevelopment of the former Daegu Prison site, putting a long-stalled project firmly on track.

The approval comes seven years after the site was designated a pilot project for national property land development in 2019, marking a pivotal turning point for a plan that had remained in the planning stage throughout that period.

A new development approach proposed by Dalseong-gun proved to be the breakthrough that got the project moving.

After Daegu Prison relocated to Habin-myeon in Dalseong-gun in November 2023, the district held ongoing consultations with relevant agencies on how to develop the vacated site.

During that process, Dalseong-gun proposed directly purchasing and developing the land designated for cultural facilities, working to strengthen both the project's public character and its feasibility.

By taking the lead as a local government in planning the cultural facilities, the district injected new momentum into a project that had been stalled for years.

The development site covers approximately 104,000 square meters and will be built out as a mixed-use complex housing cultural facilities, apartment buildings, urban support facilities and neighborhood commercial spaces.

About half the total site — 51,258 square meters — is earmarked for cultural facilities to be developed directly by Dalseong-gun. The district plans to invest approximately 350 billion won ($261 million) to build Dalseong Arena, a complex featuring a large performance hall, exhibition spaces and a premium park.

The remaining land will accommodate roughly 500 apartment units along with urban support facilities for youth entrepreneurship programs and neighborhood commercial establishments.

Korea Land and Housing Corp. plans to complete all development permits by 2028 and begin demolishing existing structures and carrying out foundation work from 2029, following the committee's approval.

Dalseong-gun is targeting a 2031 ground-breaking for the cultural facilities and is conducting feasibility studies and preliminary planning. The district is also reviewing plans to repurpose parts of the old prison structures, reinterpreting the site's history through a new cultural lens.

Dalseong-gun District Mayor Choi Jae-hoon said the district would work closely with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Korea Land and Housing Corp. and Daegu city to push the project forward at pace. "This project, together with the second national industrial complex, the industrial railway construction and the extension of subway Line 1, will bring transformative change in attracting young people to the area and improving living conditions," Choi said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com