Inside fire-hit Guryong Village’s uncertain future

The latest fire exposed the immediate danger facing Guryong Village’s remaining residents. Flames swept through the makeshift settlement on Tuesday and were extinguished early Wednesday, nearly 13 hours later. The blaze affected 107 residents from 77 households. One woman suffered a minor leg injury. The incident renewed attention to the village’s redevelopment and safety problems.

Authorities arranged temporary accommodation for people affected by the fire. Gangnam-gu opened shelters at Gaepo and Guryong middle schools and also used nearby lodging facilities. These measures gave residents somewhere to stay while officials dealt with the damage and safety concerns.

The response was emergency help, not a permanent solution. About 140 households still live in the settlement, where construction has not begun. Seoul hopes to start the replacement project in the first half of 2027, but the remaining residents must relocate first. Their move remains unresolved.

Guryong Village is a settlement of makeshift homes in southern Seoul’s Gangnam-gu. It is Seoul’s only remaining shantytown. The village covers approximately 267,000 square meters and is divided into eight sections. Its continued existence matters because it sits in a district widely associated with expensive apartments and commercial development.

The contrast is visible in the settlement’s modest homes and the surrounding urban landscape. Many houses were built from plywood, vinyl sheets and insulation. Residents often do not own the land beneath their homes. These conditions have made the village vulnerable to fires and placed land ownership at the center of redevelopment disputes.

Most residents have moved out since the village was designated for redevelopment in 2016. About 140 households remain. Seoul plans to replace the settlement with a 3,739-unit residential complex, but construction depends on relocating those households.

Guryong Village emerged during Seoul’s rapid development in the 1970s and 1980s. People displaced by development in Gangnam settled in makeshift homes in southern Seoul. Over time, those homes formed a large settlement that became known as Guryong Village.

The village’s history is therefore tied directly to displacement. Development changed the surrounding area, while people removed from other places built new lives in temporary or informal housing. Many residents did not own the land beneath their homes, which later became a central issue in redevelopment disputes. Fewer than 1 percent owned their occupied land before SH acquired it.

The surrounding district changed dramatically. Gangnam became associated with expensive apartments and commercial development, while Guryong remained Seoul’s only shantytown. Most of the original 1,107 households have since moved out, but about 140 remain as Seoul prepares a replacement complex.

About 140 households still live in Guryong Village. Seoul’s planned replacement is much more formal and much larger in housing capacity than the current settlement. The redevelopment plan calls for a 3,739-unit residential complex. Construction has not started, and Seoul hopes to begin in the first half of 2027.

The project has three housing categories. It includes 1,691 long-term jeonse rental homes, 1,107 public rental homes for former village residents and 941 homes for sale. Jeonse requires tenants to pay a large refundable deposit instead of monthly rent. The categories reflect different intended forms of housing and tenure.

The numbers also show why relocation remains important. SH acquired the land last year, but construction depends on the remaining households moving out. Many are seeking the chance to buy apartments in the new complex rather than return as public rental tenants.

Fires are especially difficult in Guryong because the settlement is dense, fragile and hard for emergency crews to access. Buildings stand close together, and narrow passageways restrict fire-engine movement. Once flames begin, these conditions make it difficult to contain them before they spread to nearby homes.

Many houses use flammable materials, including plywood, vinyl sheets and insulation. Aging electrical wiring adds another fire risk. During Tuesday’s operation, fire authorities also faced darkness, strong winds and a shortage of firefighting water. The blaze therefore required nearly 13 hours to extinguish.

The latest fire was not an isolated event. Major fires occurred in January this year and September last year. About 140 households remain in the settlement, so the danger continues while relocation is unresolved. Redevelopment could change the physical conditions, but Seoul cannot begin construction until the remaining residents have moved.

About 140 households have not relocated, and SH says many are seeking the opportunity to own apartments in the planned complex. Their demand concerns a right to purchase and own a new home. The article identifies this demand as an outstanding issue, but does not establish why every remaining household has stayed.

That request differs from Seoul’s current relocation offer. The Seoul Metropolitan Government says it has provided public rental housing for residents who move out. Rent is reduced by 60 to 100 percent depending on income. A rental home provides a place to live, but the resident does not receive the right to buy and own an apartment in the development.

This difference is delaying the project. SH acquired the land last year and aims to begin construction in the first half of 2027. It is seeking agreements to move while also pursuing legal proceedings to obtain possession. Eviction enforcement could be a last resort.

Land ownership matters in Guryong because residents’ homes and the land beneath them are not generally held by the same people. The article calls this a central issue in redevelopment disputes. Before SH acquired the land, fewer than 1 percent of residents owned the land they occupied. Most land belonged to private owners who did not live there, while some plots were publicly owned.

This ownership structure helps explain the dispute over the replacement homes. A resident offered public rental housing receives a place to live under rental terms. A resident given the right to purchase an apartment could own that home instead. SH says many remaining households are demanding the second option, rather than returning as public rental tenants.

The distinction affects both residents and the project timetable. SH acquired the land last year and is seeking possession and relocation agreements. Construction could begin in the first half of 2027 if the remaining households move, with eviction enforcement described as a last resort.