[WEEKENDER] 'Why not Gangnam?': Data center boom fuels fear in neighborhoods kept in the dark

Residents in Seoul and the surrounding region are protesting data centers built near apartment complexes, citing concerns about electromagnetic waves, noise, fires, property values and limited public notice. Developers favor the metropolitan area because dense power and telecommunications networks reduce data transmission delays and support rapid operations. Government measurements found electromagnetic-wave levels at six data centers were about 1 percent of the human safety standard, but opposition continues amid calls for dedicated data-center regulations.

More than 60 percent of South Korea’s 165 data centers are located in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Residents in Geumcheon District had staged protests for 203 consecutive days as of Sept. 21, while the district office had received about 400 complaints related to electromagnetic waves, noise and other concerns.

The planned data-center site in Gwacheon’s Juam District is 25 meters from a new apartment complex and about 90 meters from an apartment complex in Seoul’s Seocho District.

Only 26 of 112 completed or under-construction data centers nationwide, or 23.2 percent, had held at least one resident briefing or public hearing.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Agency measured electromagnetic waves at six data centers in September last year and found levels at about 1 percent of the human safety standard at all six sites.

Published Oct 16, 2026 7:00 am KST

Residents of nearby apartments protesting the construction of a data center in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon District, Seoul, hold a rally in front of Geumcheon District Office, Sept. 21. Korea Times photo by Park Si-mon

About 20 people gather every morning in front of Geumcheon District Office in southwestern Seoul, holding signs and staging protests. Most are in their 50s and 60s and live in a large apartment complex identified only as "L," home to more than 1,700 households. Their protest, which they say is the first demonstration they have ever taken part in, marked its 203rd consecutive day on Sept. 21. They might be expected to be tired by now, but it is anger rather than fatigue that shows on their faces.

The protesters are vehemently opposed to a data center. About 100 meters from the entrance to their apartment complex, construction of an eight-story data center has been underway for 11 months. Ko Young-chan, 33, a two-term member of the Geumcheon District Council who lives in L Apartment, said, "It seems data center developers came here thinking, 'Land prices in a place like Geumcheon District make the project worth trying.'" He also claimed that the data center itself would not generate tax revenue for the district.

The situation is not unique to Geumcheon District. Data center projects are facing opposition from residents all around the Seoul metropolitan area. Data centers, which were once mainly located in industrial complexes, are now moving into semi-industrial areas next to apartment complexes.

Residents understand that data centers are essential infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence. They are not facilities that everyone instinctively dislikes, such as garbage incinerators, prisons or crematoriums. Yet opposition has been just as fierce.

The central question is, "Why does it have to be right in front of my home, and why are you building it without telling us?" The situation in the United States, where data center projects have been halted amid resident opposition and have even emerged as major election issues, no longer seems so distant from Korea.

Concerns over electromagnetic waves and noise

Chart generated by Gemini

Why do developers insist on building data centers in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area? The answer is speed.

Data centers transmit enormous amounts of data in real time. The closer they are to users, the lower the "latency," or transmission delay, allowing data to travel back and forth more quickly. The Seoul metropolitan area has an advantage because its power and telecommunications networks are densely developed. Related personnel are also concentrated in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, allowing operators to respond quickly when problems occur. This is why more than 60 percent of the country's 165 data centers are located in the metropolitan area.

But residents who suddenly find an unfamiliar building just beyond their apartment walls are worried. They claim data centers could pose various risks. Some fear that high-voltage power lines supplying electricity could emit electromagnetic waves harmful to health. Others worry that large cooling facilities operating around the clock to cool servers will generate heat and noise. Some residents are also concerned that an energy storage system (ESS) could cause a major fire.

A resident in his 60s who lives in an apartment in Doksan-dong said, "I saw news reports from overseas about problems caused by data center noise and electromagnetic waves. It was frightening, and I felt betrayed. Honestly, isn't it more harmful than an ordinary factory that emits smoke?"

The district office has received about 400 complaints from residents related to electromagnetic waves, noise and other issues before and after construction of the data center. Some nearby residents have also pointed out that "the road directly in front of the site is only a 6-meter-wide alley," raising concerns that "even one fire engine wouldn't be able to get in properly if a fire broke out."

The government and industry have argued that there is no reason for concern. They say that most data centers in the metropolitan area are relatively small facilities that do not require new high-voltage transmission lines. In September last year, the Ministry of Science and ICT, together with the Korea Communications Agency, measured electromagnetic waves from high-voltage cables at six data centers and found that levels at all six sites were about 1 percent of the human safety standard.

"Concerns about electromagnetic waves and noise are largely based on vague fears," said Chae Hyo-geun, executive vice president of the Korea Data Center Federation. "Noise and fires are matters that can be managed, and because data centers are designed under strict safety standards, they can actually be safer than ordinary buildings."

Residents, however, remain unconvinced.

Kang Sun-mo, head of the emergency committee opposing a data center in Siksa-dong, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, points to the site where a project financing vehicle has announced plans to build a data center and a nearby apartment complex, July 22. Korea Times photo by Jo A-reum

Data centers take root next to apartment complexes

One of the biggest complaints from residents is the distance between the facilities and their homes. They say data centers are being built too close to residential areas.

Juam District in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, is a case in point. Plans are underway to build data centers on five lots designated for business facilities. According to residents, the site is only 25 meters from a new apartment complex scheduled to be occupied in September 2028 and about 90 meters from an apartment complex in Seoul's Seocho District across Yangjae Stream. Residents claim that more than 5,000 households will eventually live within a 500-meter radius of the planned site.

The situation is similar in Siksa-dong in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. A data center is planned on a 27,000-square-meter site, roughly the size of four soccer fields.

"The distance between the data center and the apartment complex boundary is only 54 meters. There is also an elementary school with 1,000 students less than 200 meters away," said Kang Sun-mo, head of the emergency committee opposing the data center in Siksa-dong.

"We're not saying data centers shouldn't be built. We're saying they shouldn't be built right next to where people live."

He said residents would have little reason to object if the facilities were planned at an appropriate distance from residential areas.

The Siksa-dong data center project applied for a construction permit in September 2024. Reviews by the Goyang City Urban Planning Committee and Building Committee passed conditionally last year, but construction has yet to begin amid opposition from residents.

A Goyang City official said, "Given the strong opposition from residents, we plan to reflect their concerns as much as possible."

A banner opposing the construction of a data center hangs in front of the planned site in Juam District, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Kang Ji-su

'We didn't even know it was being built'

Another source of residents' anger is what they describe as a lack of transparency in the administrative process. They say they did not know a data center was coming until construction began.

A resident identified only as A in Doksan-dong said, "The construction noise was so bad that I asked the district office about it, and they initially told me a broadcasting and communications facility was being built. I vaguely thought it was something like a broadcasting station. I never dreamed it was a data center that would consume so much electricity."

The district office's explanation was not technically incorrect. Under the current Building Act, data centers are classified as "broadcasting and communications facilities." Even facilities located in semi-industrial areas may be subject to a preliminary notice procedure for building permits, under which residents' opinions are collected when they are adjacent to apartment complexes, schools, day care centers or other facilities and could affect the residential environment.

Data centers, however, are not subject to that procedure. In other words, a data center could potentially appear one day next to the apartment where you live without residents being informed in advance.

Resident briefings and public hearings are also not mandatory. According to the office of Rep. Park Ji-hye of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, only 26 of the 112 data centers nationwide that have been completed or are under construction — 23.2 percent — have held a resident briefing or public hearing at least once.

"A building permit is, in principle, a bound administrative act that local governments are required to issue when the necessary requirements are met," said Choi In-chun, an adjunct professor of architectural engineering at Yonsei University.

"Although authorities can request supplementary measures at the stage of reporting the start of construction in response to complaints, there is no procedure for hearing residents' opinions before construction begins."

Some also view concerns over property values as the underlying reason for the opposition. Residents themselves do not hide their frustration that data centers are being built in relatively less-developed areas of the metropolitan region rather than expensive and affluent neighborhoods such as Gangnam, potentially widening existing disparities in property prices.

In areas where conflicts over data centers are particularly intense, including Geumcheon District in Seoul and Goyang and Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province, residents commonly believe their neighborhoods have already been left behind in the rise in housing prices.

One Doksan-dong resident said, "I heard that even if I sold my 35-pyeong (115.7-square-meter) apartment here, I could barely afford a 25-pyeong (82.6-square-meter) older apartment in Cheolsan-dong, Gwangmyeong. Prices are rising everywhere else, but not here."

Residents opposed to a data center under construction in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon District, Seoul, hold a meeting with district officials at Geumcheon District Office, Sept. 3, to discuss future measures and other issues. Courtesy of residents

Chain of risks: Complaints, construction delays and lawsuits

Developers building data centers are frustrated as well. Even after obtaining building permits early on, they face construction delays as well as the costs of administrative and legal disputes.

"We used our own money to conduct simulations with experts and research institutes and shared the results at a public hearing, showing that the impact of electromagnetic waves and equipment noise on nearby apartments was minimal. But it made no difference," an official from a developer pursuing a data center project in Seoul said.

"Even when we explain that the facility is small and will have virtually no environmental impact, residents perceive data centers as extremely dangerous, gigantic factories."

For developers, time is money. Even a delay of several months can cause loan interest and other costs to snowball.

Data centers are generally developed by specialized developers or asset managers that secure land and power, obtain permits and handle resident complaints. Once construction is complete, they sell the facility to an operating company and make a profit on the difference.

Construction delays are, of course, common in other real estate development projects as well. But industry officials say data centers are particularly vulnerable to cascading cost increases when schedules go off track.

"General commercial properties are designed flexibly from the outset because they are intended to accommodate multiple tenants. Data centers, however, are facilities with a very specific purpose," another developer said.

"Everything from power to cooling is interconnected, so if even one stage falls out of alignment, it affects everything else down the line."

Calls are growing for institutional reforms to resolve conflicts arising from data center projects. In particular, there is growing support for a legal framework specifically designed for data centers.

As data centers are expected to spread beyond the Seoul metropolitan area and across the country, experts say conflicts cannot be resolved by relying on the same formulas used for ordinary building permits. Otherwise, disputes over responsibility among developers, local residents and local governments are likely to continue.

"The most urgent task is to fill the institutional gap created by forcing data centers into the outdated category of broadcasting and communications facilities and leaving each conflict to local government ordinances," said Ji Ju-hyung, a professor of sociology at Kyungnam University.

"Now that data centers have become a key part of national infrastructure policy, we need a special law that establishes a single framework covering everything from location and safety standards to information disclosure and conflict management."

This article by Jo A-reum and Kang Ji-su of the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

首尔及周边地区的居民正在抗议在公寓楼附近建设数据中心，他们担心电磁波、噪音、火灾、房产贬值以及缺乏公众通知等问题。开发商青睐大都市区，因为密集的电力和电信网络可以减少数据传输延迟，并支持快速运营。政府测量发现，六个数据中心的电磁波水平约为人体安全标准的1%，但反对声浪依然高涨，人们呼吁制定专门的数据中心监管法规。

韩国165个数据中心中，超过60%位于首尔都市区。

截至9月21日，衿川区居民已连续203天举行抗议活动，而区政府已收到约400起与电磁波、噪音和其他问题相关的投诉。

计划在果川市住岩区建设的数据中心距离新建的公寓楼仅 25 米，距离首尔瑞草区的一个公寓楼约 90 米。

全国已建成或在建的 112 个数据中心中，只有 26 个（占 23.2%）至少举行过一次居民简报会或公开听证会。

去年 9 月，韩国科学技术信息通信部和韩国通信管理局对六个数据中心的电磁波进行了测量，发现这六个地点的电磁波水平约为人体安全标准的 1%。

发布于2026年10月16日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

9月21日，首尔衿川区独山洞附近公寓的居民在衿川区政府前举行集会，抗议在该地修建数据中心。韩国时报朴时文摄

每天清晨，约有20人在首尔西南部的衿川区政府门前聚集，举着标语牌进行抗议。他们大多五六十岁，居住在一个仅以“L”标识的大型公寓楼里，该公寓楼共有1700多户人家。他们说这是他们第一次参加示威游行，而9月21日，这场抗议活动已经持续了203天。按理说，他们现在应该已经疲惫不堪了，但他们脸上流露出的却是愤怒，而非疲惫。

抗议者强烈反对建设数据中心。距离他们公寓楼入口约100米处，一座八层高的数据中心已经施工11个月了。居住在L公寓的33岁高永灿（音译）是衿川区议会的两届议员，他说：“数据中心开发商似乎认为，‘衿川区这样的地价高，值得一试。’”他还声称，数据中心本身并不会为该地区带来税收收入。

这种情况并非衿川区独有。首尔都市圈各地的数据中心项目都面临着居民的反对。数据中心过去主要位于工业园区，现在却纷纷迁往毗邻住宅区的半工业区。

居民们明白，在人工智能时代，数据中心是必不可少的基础设施。它们不像垃圾焚烧炉、监狱或火葬场那样，人人都本能地反感。然而，反对的声音却同样强烈。

核心问题是：“为什么一定要建在我家门口？为什么建之前不告诉我们？”在美国，数据中心项目因居民反对而停工，甚至成为重要的选举议题，这种情况与韩国的境况似乎并不遥远。

对电磁波和噪声的担忧

图表由 Gemini 生成

为什么开发商坚持在人口稠密的首尔都市区建设数据中心？答案是速度。

数据中心实时传输海量数据。数据中心距离用户越近，“延迟”（即传输延迟）就越低，数据传输速度也就越快。首尔都市圈拥有得天独厚的优势，因为其电力和电信网络高度发达。相关人员也集中在首尔、京畿道和仁川，这使得运营商能够在出现问题时迅速响应。正因如此，韩国165个数据中心中，超过60%都位于首尔都市圈。

但居民们突然发现公寓墙外出现了一座陌生的建筑，这让他们感到担忧。他们认为数据中心可能带来各种风险。一些人担心，高压输电线路可能会发出有害健康的电磁波。另一些人则担心，为服务器全天候运转的大型冷却设施会产生热量和噪音。还有一些居民担心储能系统（ESS）可能会引发重大火灾。

一位住在独山洞公寓的六十多岁居民说：“我看到海外新闻报道说数据中心噪音和电磁波造成了问题。这很可怕，我感觉被欺骗了。说实话，难道它不比排放烟雾的普通工厂危害更大吗？”

数据中心建设前后，区政府已收到约400起居民投诉，内容涉及电磁波、噪音等问题。一些附近居民还指出，“数据中心正前方的道路只有6米宽”，并担忧“一旦发生火灾，即使一辆消防车也无法顺利进入”。

政府和业界人士认为无需担忧。他们表示，大都市地区的大多数数据中心规模相对较小，不需要新建高压输电线路。去年9月，韩国科学技术信息通信部联合韩国通信管理局对六个数据中心的高压电缆电磁波进行了测量，发现所有六个地点的电磁波水平都约为人体安全标准的1%。

韩国数据中心联盟执行副会长蔡孝根表示：“人们对电磁波和噪音的担忧很大程度上是基于模糊的恐惧。噪音和火灾都是可以控制的，而且由于数据中心的设计遵循严格的安全标准，它们实际上可能比普通建筑物更安全。”

然而，居民们仍然不相信。

7月22日，京畿道高阳市西沙洞数据中心建设项目紧急委员会主席姜善模（音译）指着项目融资机构宣布计划建设数据中心及附近公寓楼的地点。（韩国时报 赵雅凛 摄）

数据中心纷纷建在公寓楼附近

居民们最大的抱怨之一就是数据中心与住宅之间的距离。他们说数据中心建得离居民区太近了。

京畿道果川市住岩区就是一个典型的例子。当地计划在五块划为商业设施用地的地块上建设数据中心。据居民反映，该地块距离计划于2028年9月入住的新公寓楼仅25米，距离首尔瑞草区隔阳济川的另一处公寓楼也只有约90米。居民声称，最终将有超过5000户家庭居住在规划数据中心周围500米半径的范围内。

京畿道高阳市日山市西沙洞的情况也类似。当地计划在一块27000平方米的土地上建设一个数据中心，面积大约相当于四个足球场。

“数据中心与公寓楼边界的距离只有54米。而且，不到200米的地方还有一所拥有1000名学生的小学，”反对在锡克沙洞建设数据中心的紧急委员会主席姜善模说道。

“我们并不是说不应该建数据中心，而是说不应该建在居民区附近。”

他表示，如果这些设施的规划位置与居民区保持适当的距离，居民们就没有理由反对。

锡克沙洞数据中心项目于 2024 年 9 月申请了施工许可证。高阳市城市规划委员会和建设委员会去年有条件地通过了审查，但由于居民的反对，该项目尚未开工建设。

高阳市一位官员表示：“鉴于居民的强烈反对，我们将尽可能地反映他们的诉求。”

在京畿道果川市住岩郡拟建数据中心的地块前，悬挂着反对建设数据中心的横幅。（韩国时报 姜智秀 摄）

“我们甚至都不知道它正在建设中。”

居民愤怒的另一个原因是他们认为行政流程缺乏透明度。他们表示，直到数据中心开始动工，他们才知道这里要建数据中心。

一位居住在独山洞、化名A的居民说：“施工噪音太大了，我去区政府问过，他们一开始告诉我正在建设广播通信设施。我隐约以为是广播电台之类的东西，做梦也没想到竟然是耗电量这么大的数据中心。”

区政府的解释在技术上并没有错。根据现行的《建筑法》，数据中心被归类为“广播通信设施”。即使是位于半工业区的设施，在申请建筑许可证时也可能需要经过初步通知程序，即在数据中心毗邻公寓楼、学校、托儿所或其他设施，且可能影响居住环境时，需要征求居民的意见。

然而，数据中心不受此程序约束。换句话说，数据中心可能有一天会出现在你居住的公寓旁边，而居民事先却不会收到任何通知。

居民情况通报会和公众听证会也并非强制性的。据韩国执政党共同民主党议员朴智惠办公室称，全国已建成或在建的112个数据中心中，只有26个（占23.2%）至少举行过一次居民情况通报会或公众听证会。

“从原则上讲，建筑许可证是一种具有约束力的行政行为，地方政府在满足必要条件时必须颁发，”延世大学建筑工程系兼职教授崔仁春（音译）说。

“虽然有关部门可以在接到投诉后，在报告施工开始阶段要求采取补充措施，但目前没有程序在施工开始前听取居民的意见。”

一些人认为，对房产价值的担忧是反对的根本原因。居民们也毫不掩饰他们的不满，他们认为数据中心选址在大都市相对欠发达的地区，而不是像江南区这样房价高昂的富裕社区，这可能会加剧现有的房价差距。

在数据中心冲突尤为激烈的地区，例如首尔的衿川区以及京畿道的豪阳和金浦，居民普遍认为他们的社区在房价上涨中已经落后了。

一位独山洞居民说：“我听说，即使我卖掉这里35坪（115.7平方米）的公寓，也几乎买不起光明郡铁山洞一套25坪（82.6平方米）的老房子了。其他地方的房价都在上涨，唯独这里没有。”

9月3日，首尔衿川区独山洞居民与区政府官员举行会议，讨论在建数据中心的相关事宜，并探讨未来措施及其他问题。（图片由居民提供）

风险链：投诉、工期延误和诉讼

开发商在建设数据中心时也感到沮丧。即使早期就获得了建筑许可证，他们仍然面临着工期延误以及行政和法律纠纷带来的成本。

“我们自掏腰包与专家和研究机构合作进行了模拟，并在公开听证会上公布了结果，表明电磁波和设备噪音对附近公寓的影响微乎其微。但这并没有什么效果，”一位在首尔推进数据中心项目的开发商的官员说道。

“即使我们解释说该设施规模很小，几乎不会对环境造成任何影响，居民们仍然认为数据中心是极其危险的巨型工厂。”

对开发商而言，时间就是金钱。即使仅仅几个月的延误，也会导致贷款利息和其他成本像滚雪球一样越滚越大。

数据中心通常由专业的开发商或资产管理公司开发，他们负责购置土地和电力、办理许可证并处理居民投诉。建设完成后，他们会将设施出售给运营公司，并从中赚取差价。

当然，其他房地产开发项目也经常会出现工期延误的情况。但业内人士表示，数据中心一旦工期延误，就特别容易导致成本连锁上涨。

另一位开发商表示：“一般商业地产从一开始就设计得比较灵活，因为它们旨在容纳多个租户。然而，数据中心是用途非常特殊的设施。”

“从电力到冷却，所有环节都是相互关联的，所以即使其中一个环节出现偏差，也会影响到后续的所有环节。”

各界呼吁进行体制改革以解决数据中心项目引发的冲突的呼声日益高涨。尤其值得注意的是，越来越多的人支持建立专门针对数据中心的法律框架。

随着数据中心预计将从首尔都市区扩展到全国各地，专家表示，不能再沿用普通建筑许可的审批方式来解决相关冲突。否则，开发商、当地居民和地方政府之间关于责任归属的争议很可能会持续下去。

庆南大学社会学教授池柱亨表示：“最紧迫的任务是填补因将数据中心强行归入过时的广播和通信设施类别，并将每个冲突都留给地方政府法令来解决而造成的制度空白。”

“既然数据中心已成为国家基础设施政策的关键组成部分，我们就需要一部专门的法律，建立一个涵盖从选址和安全标准到信息披露和冲突管理等所有方面的统一框架。”

本文由《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报）的赵雅凛和姜智秀撰写，由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。