SEOUL — The military will not renew the lease for the Hannam Village family housing complex in Seoul next year because of the upcoming relocation of U.S. forces.

The decision means that no incoming servicemembers are being assigned to the 512-unit gated complex, according to U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan.

“Incoming families that would have been eligible for assignment to Hannam Village will be issued certificates of non-availability and assisted to find quarters off-post by USAG Yongsan’s Directorate of Public Works, Housing Division,” garrison spokesman Mark Abueg said in an email to Stars and Stripes.

Nearly 380 units at Hannam are occupied. The current lease, which began in 2009, is valued at about $13.8 million per year and expires in December 2014.

The decision to vacate Hannam Village comes as the military prepares to move USFK troops stationed in and north of Seoul to regional hub bases south of the capital, including Camp Humphreys, an Army base undergoing a major expansion. USFK has said the majority of the relocation will take place in 2016.

Abueg previously said the military was considering not renewing the Hannam Village lease because of the planned closure of Yongsan, not because of maintenance issues or other concerns.

Earlier this year, Area II residents participating in a symposium on quality of life issues ranked Hannam Village as one of their top three concerns, citing the no-pet policy, the quality of housing units, the condition of government furnishings and the inconsistency of unit assignments.

Built in the early 1980s about a 10-minute drive from Yongsan, the complex includes a small commissary and shoppette, two playgrounds, a gym and a ball field. It underwent a massive overhaul in 2009-10.

Rowland.ashley@stripes.com

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