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Seoul gov't aims to break ground on 85,000 housing units by 2028, a year earlier than planned

Published: 26 Feb. 2026, 21:48

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center, announces a plan to break ground on 85,000 housing units across 85 redevelopment and reconstruction sites over the next three years at Seoul City Hall on Feb. 26. [NEWS1]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is attempting to move the start of construction at major redevelopment and reconstruction projects by up to one year, aiming to break ground on 85,000 housing units by 2028.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the plan on Thursday, explaining that the city needs to prevent delays in projects that are already underway.

“If we want to end the [housing] supply crisis, not a single redevelopment or reconstruction project currently underway can be allowed to stop,” Oh said.

Redevelopment and reconstruction projects in Seoul typically involve rebuilding aging neighborhoods and apartment complexes into higher-density housing, which can take years and requires residents to relocate before demolition and construction can begin.

To achieve its goal, the city reviewed the timelines for 253 projects and selected 85 sites that it believed could break ground within three years.

The Sewoon District 4 redevelopment area located directly across from the Jongmyo Shrine in central Seoul is seen on Nov. 18, 2025. [YONHAP]

The city government will focus on improving the relocation, demolition and preconstruction processes, during which most projects are stalled. It also plans to reduce delays by combining certain safety and excavation-related procedures that have often been handled separately and by tightening project schedule management.

Some projects could begin construction as early as next year, roughly a year earlier than planned.

The city government linked the push to a recent decline in the number of housing units that have broken ground, saying that the volume had fallen from about 24,000 units in 2021 to 11,000 units in 2024 and 6,000 units through September 2025.

To ease financial burdens for residents, Seoul said that it would allocate 50 billion won ($35 million) from a housing fund this year to support relocation loans.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN EUN-HWA [[email protected]]