Restricted Development Zone

A land-use regulation system introduced in 1971 to prevent disorderly urban sprawl and conserve the natural environment, commonly called the 'Green Belt'.

Restricted Development Zone

Overview

The Restricted Development Zone (개발제한구역), commonly called the "Green Belt," is a land-use regulation area designated and publicly announced to prevent disorderly urban sprawl, conserve the natural environment around cities, and secure a healthy living environment for urban residents. It was first introduced in 1971 under the Urban Planning Act and is currently managed under the Act on Special Measures for the Designation and Management of Restricted Development Zones. It is often called the "Green Belt" and is one of Korea's representative strong land-use regulatory instruments and a policy area where property rights, housing supply, and environmental conservation are sharply intertwined.

Main Details

Background and History

In the early 1970s, rapid industrialization and urbanization caused populations in major cities such as Seoul and Busan to surge, and indiscriminate development and environmental damage on the urban outskirts emerged as social problems. In July 1971, the government newly established relevant provisions in the Urban Planning Act and designated large-scale restricted development zones around 14 cities, including Seoul and Busan. Subsequent adjustments were made alongside economic growth, and in 1998 the Constitutional Court ruled constitutional on claims of excessive infringement of property rights. Then, with the enforcement of the Special Measures Act in July 2000, institutional safeguards such as compensation, resident support, and the right to request purchase were established.

Designation Status and Structure

As of the 2020s, a total area of around 3,800 km² remains across 15 cities and provinces nationwide, equivalent to about 4% of the national territory. More than half is concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, and the representative example is the belt-shaped zone surrounding the outskirts of Seoul. The zones are managed by classifying them into Grade 1 (conservation), Grade 2 (conservation/management), and Grade 3 (convertible) after comprehensively evaluating the natural environmental and agricultural value of the land and the potential for urban growth; areas where residents live are separately designated as settlement districts or collective settlement districts to alleviate inconveniences in daily life.

Restrictions on Activities

In Restricted Development Zones, construction of buildings, alteration of land form, land subdivision, piling up of objects, and felling of standing trees are in principle prohibited. Exceptionally, construction of detached houses and neighborhood living facilities for residents' convenience, public-interest projects, national defense and military facilities, and installation of public facilities are permitted after deliberation. In case of violation, orders to restore the original state, enforcement fines, and criminal punishment are imposed.

Release and Adjustment

Since the 2000s, with low growth overlapping with the decline of local cities, measures have continued to partially release zones in the six metropolitan cities and small and medium-sized local cities or convert them into urban management plans. In the Seoul metropolitan area as well, partial releases have been repeated for reasons such as creating public housing districts, expanding metropolitan transportation networks, and creating industrial complexes. Because release is often deliberated and decided on an individual project basis, interests conflict sharply by region.

Major Issues

Supporters argue that the public-interest functions are significant, including curbing disorderly urban sprawl, providing leisure and rest spaces for urban residents, conserving water resources and ecosystems, and purifying the air. Opponents point out that the exercise of property rights by landowners within the zones is effectively blocked and development profits are unilaterally restricted, and they demand expanded loss compensation and the right to request purchase. In addition, side effects after the release of zones, such as traffic congestion, lack of infrastructure, reckless development, and the influx of speculative demand, are also important issues.

Latest Trends

In 2024–2025, as the housing supply shortage in the Seoul metropolitan area grew, the release of Restricted Development Zones re-emerged as a key policy agenda. In August 2024, the government announced the "Housing Supply Expansion Plan for National Housing Stability" and began reviewing the use of the Seoul metropolitan area's Green Belt as a means of securing new housing sites; in 2025, plans to supply large-scale housing by releasing some zones, including areas around Seocho and Gangnam in Seoul, took concrete shape. In response, environmental groups and some local governments oppose the move, citing concerns over damage to ecological axes and preferential treatment from development profits, while those emphasizing the urgency of housing supply demand prompt release, and the conflict continues. At the same time, management-strengthening measures are also being pursued, such as cracking down on illegal land-form alterations of neglected land within the zones, conserving urban forests and green axes in response to the climate crisis, and designating land transaction permit zones in parallel. Overseas, the Green Belt in London, the United Kingdom, introduced in 1938, and Japan's urbanization control areas are compared as similar systems, and in the United Kingdom as well, discussions on Green Belt reform to expand housing supply are underway.