Up to 21 separate departmental consultations replaced by single-window, parallel review system; one-team meeting required within 7 days of application
System extended to apartment construction projects of 30 or more units; interdepartmental disputes resolved from the earliest project stage
Seoul's Dongjak-gu will launch a one-stop administrative support system to streamline the permit and approval process for redevelopment and reconstruction projects.
The initiative aims to replace the existing practice of visiting multiple departments individually with an integrated consultation process led by a single coordinating department, cutting the time needed to advance projects.
Dongjak-gu said Nov. 2 it had begun operating the one-stop administrative support system to accelerate redevelopment, reconstruction and housing construction projects.
The core of the new regime is consolidating permit consultations — previously scattered across urban planning, architecture, transportation, roads and environmental departments — under a single lead department, with all relevant departments forming one team and conducting their reviews simultaneously.
Until now, those involved in housing construction projects had to visit up to 21 departments individually during the approval process. The burden was compounded by having to submit similar documents — including project plans and design drawings — multiple times to different offices.
To address these inefficiencies, the district introduced three improvements: designating a single consultation window for each project, conducting parallel reviews across relevant departments, and holding team-leader-level one-team meetings.
Under the first measure, a lead department is designated as the sole point of contact for each project, allowing applicants to submit all documents in one place. For example, when a reconstruction association applies for project implementation plan approval, the reconstruction division serves as the window and coordinates consultations with related departments such as road management, parks and green spaces, and environmental affairs.
The sequential, department-by-department review process will also give way to a parallel model. Once the lead department receives the documents, it distributes them to all relevant departments simultaneously, with each reviewing its own area of responsibility at the same time.
Particularly notable is a requirement to convene a team-leader-level one-team meeting within seven days of receiving an application to resolve interdepartmental disagreements and key issues. Rather than simply compiling each department's findings, all relevant departments gather to work out integrated solutions.
The system covers more than 80 redevelopment and reconstruction projects in the district, as well as apartment construction projects of 30 or more units. It applies at every major permit and approval stage from initial project approval through to completion.
The district expects the new system to reduce waiting times caused by interdepartmental consultations and ease the administrative burden on project operators. Infrastructure matters — including roads and parks — will also be reviewed from the earliest stage of a project to minimize additional consultations and delays during the approval process.
"Redevelopment and construction projects involve interlocking administrative procedures across many fields, which makes close interdepartmental cooperation a critical factor in moving them forward," Dongjak-gu District Mayor Ryu Sam-young said. "By building a system in which relevant departments review and coordinate together from the very start, we will reduce unnecessary administrative delays and ensure that housing construction projects in Dongjak-gu proceed with momentum."
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