The land ministry plans to ease regulations on four “greenbelt zones,” areas where development is restricted, and build 50-thousand housing units there. 

The ministry announced on Tuesday that it will lift greenbelt restrictions on four areas in Greater Seoul as a follow-up measure to real estate policies the government made public on August 8. 

The last time the government eased greenbelt rules in Seoul for the purpose of supplying housing was in 2012, during the Lee Myung-bak administration. 

First, the government will lift greenbelt restrictions on the Seoripul area in Seoul’s Seocho District and build 20-thousand housing units there. 

The government will also supply 30-thousand housing units in three cities in Gyeonggi Province: Goyang, Uiwang and Uijeongbu. 

The government said the four areas have little value in terms of environmental conservation and are at risk of witnessing unplanned development due to the clustering of factories and warehouses.