Choi Ki-chan, chief of Seoul's Geumcheon District, launched his term in earnest by making institutional improvements to resolve conflicts over data center construction his first official act on Tuesday, the first day of the ninth popularly elected term.
According to Geumcheon District, the core of this first act is the "establishment of a resident-participation review system and institutional improvement for data centers." The focus is on reflecting resident opinions in advance during the construction of data centers near residential areas and creating institutional mechanisms to reduce conflict.
Under the current system, building permits offer limited discretion, making it structurally difficult to restrict permits based on resident opinion alone, regardless of proximity to densely populated residential areas. In response, the district plans to make it mandatory to submit consent from a majority of residents within a 200-meter radius of the site boundary, along with an internal checklist, starting from the building permit application stage.
The verification process will also be strengthened. The district will introduce a three-stage verification system consisting of written expert review, a conflict mediation council, and building committee consultation to ensure transparency and objectivity. In particular, the conflict mediation council will bring together the district office, resident representatives, experts, and operators to inspect environmental impacts such as electromagnetic waves, noise, and the heat island effect in advance and mediate major issues.
Regional co-prosperity measures will also be pursued in parallel. Through consultations with data center operators, the district plans to encourage the signing of co-prosperity agreements that include priority hiring of local workers and support for strengthening the digital competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Over the medium to long term, the district will also pursue institutional improvements. It plans to propose amendments to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's urban planning ordinance and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Building Act so that data center locations can be restricted within Class 2 and Class 3 general residential areas.
In addition, a "Data Center Task Force" will be newly created under the direct supervision of the deputy district chief to oversee related responses. The task force plans to organize itself by function, including permits, conflict mediation, and post-management, to systematically manage pending issues.
"Protecting the safety of residents and a pleasant residential environment is the top priority," Choi said. "We will transparently reflect resident opinions from the stage before building permits and establish standards that can prevent conflicts in advance."
