[비즈한국] The 'Gimpo High School Youth Hostel' project, which the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been pushing for on the site of the former Gimpo High School in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, has effectively been scrapped. In accordance with the government's 'August 13 Real Estate Measures,' a project to build 270 youth-specialized housing units and an indoor student gymnasium is scheduled to be pursued on this site.
Seoul City had been pursuing the 'Gimpo High School Youth Hostel' project to utilize the long-vacant former Gimpo High School site. In 2025, it conducted feasibility studies, basic planning services, and precision safety diagnosis services, and continued to allocate relevant budgets this year to proceed with the project.
It also continued negotiations for property transfer with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which owns the site. However, it failed to reach a property transfer agreement. According to officials from Seoul City and the Office of Education, the negotiations did not proceed smoothly due to changes in relevant laws during the process and the emergence of other utilization needs, such as public housing and a student gymnasium.
The lack of coordination between the City and the Office of Education was pointed out as early as July of this year. Jang Sang-ki, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Education Committee, noted during an Education Committee meeting on July 27, "Seoul City says it will build a youth hostel, while the Office of Education is separately conducting its own studies," adding, "It is a severe lack of coordination."
While the City and the Office of Education failed to reach an agreement, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on August 13, as part of its housing supply measures, that the former Gimpo High School site would be a target area for the combined construction of youth-specialized housing and an indoor student gymnasium. Subsequently, on August 27, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) disclosed the implementation schedule for four leading school site complex projects, including Gimpo High School, as a follow-up measure to the August 13 plan.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "The Office of Education is currently conducting a basic concept study for a multi-purpose indoor gymnasium on the site, and we plan to build the housing and gymnasium on the site in harmony through consultations with the Office of Education based on the results of the study." An official from the Office of Education also stated that it appears they will proceed with the residential complex project on the former Gimpo High School site in cooperation with LH.
As a result, Seoul City's youth hostel project has effectively been scrapped, and the budget allocated for the project will be treated as unused. A Seoul City official said, "It is true that the property transfer negotiations have been suspended," adding, "It should be considered that the youth hostel project has also been scrapped."
However, Seoul City has not yet received official notification from the Office of Education. A Seoul City official explained, "It is true that we consulted with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport before the August 13 announcement, but we have not received any information regarding this from the Office of Education."
In response, the Office of Education stated, "We have not yet officially delivered the news," adding, "We expect it to be sorted out sometime in September."
The direction for utilizing the former Gimpo High School site appears to be settling around housing and a student gymnasium in line with the August 13 Real Estate Measures. However, as official notification from the Office of Education and follow-up discussions are still pending, the specific future project implementation process bears watching.