SUWON — Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae visited the Goyang Changneung public housing district on the 28th to review construction progress, transit plans, a military base relocation and soil remediation work, ahead of the first move-ins scheduled for December 2027.
The province said the visit was intended to check the district's supply timeline in line with the government's "rapid housing supply plan" announced on Aug. 13, and to ensure that living infrastructure residents will actually use is put in place without delay. Gyeonggi Province holds that the project must deliver transit, schools, green space and self-sufficient functions alongside a larger housing supply.
At the site, Choo stressed that move-in dates and kindergarten opening schedules must be closely coordinated, given that newly married couples are likely to make up a large share of residents. The governor also asked officials to move quickly on transit measures so that commuting problems do not emerge from the earliest stage of occupancy.
Choo said the province would hold intensive talks with the Metropolitan Transport Commission on options including linking rail and conventional bus routes to bus rapid transit, or BRT. On transit issues, the governor added, the province would press the central government for effective measures and actively propose alternatives where needed.
Changneung is a third-phase new town being built across nine neighborhoods in Goyang's Deogyang District, including Wonheung-dong and Dongsan-dong. The project area covers about 8.119 million square meters, and plans call for 38,334 homes housing roughly 92,000 people. The district was designated in March 2020, site preparation began in May 2023, and completion is targeted for the end of 2029.
Land compensation is about 99% complete, and site preparation work stands at about 9%. Within the district, the A4, S5 and S6 blocks — together comprising 2,089 homes — broke ground for housing construction in October 2024. Progress on those blocks ranges from 40% to 45%, and they are set to be the first in Changneung to accept residents.
Choo noted that because the supply volume has grown beyond earlier projections, existing plans alone may not be able to handle transit demand. The governor called for additional measures in case road capacity proves insufficient, and said green space should be expanded in proportion to the larger population if floor area ratios are raised.
Choo also emphasized moving away from building housing alone toward a city that combines daily life with jobs. Unless transit networks, parks and self-sufficient facilities are delivered together, residents could face growing inconvenience after moving in, making it necessary to fine-tune infrastructure plans from the earliest stage of the project.
The site inspection was attended by Goyang Mayor Min Kyung-sun, National Assembly member Kim Sung-hoe, provincial council members, and officials from the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) and Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH).
Participants also reviewed the relocation process and the status of soil remediation work at the site within Changneung designated for the military base move.
The military facility site covers about 2.2 million square meters, or roughly 27% of the total project area. Follow-up construction for public housing can proceed only after the base relocation and the cleanup of contaminated soil are complete. The relocation and remediation schedule is therefore seen as a key variable tied directly to the pace of the entire Changneung project.
Among the main issues discussed was an enforcement decree revision to the Soil Environment Conservation Act that the government is pursuing. The revision includes an exception allowing contaminated soil from public housing projects to be moved off-site for treatment regardless of whether construction has begun, following a request from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and an opinion from the Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment.
Once in effect, the rule would allow contaminated soil to be hauled from the site and treated at a separate location, which could help move up the start of follow-up construction. Still, the treatment method, cost estimates and cost-sharing among agencies remain matters to be worked out in advance.
Choo asked officials to wrap up the relevant consultations in advance so that remediation can begin as soon as the rule takes effect. Gyeonggi Province plans to continue monitoring the base relocation and soil remediation with the Ministry of National Defense, LH, GH, the Goyang Urban Management Corporation and the Korea Rural Community Corporation.
Separately, Choo said the province would work to raise both the pace of supply and the quality of urban development not only in Goyang Changneung but also in other third-phase new towns in Gyeonggi Province, including Namyangju Wangsuk and Hanam Gyosan.
