Chung Yong-jin's mansion resembles a fortress in Pangyo

The massive scale of Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin's mansion has become a hot topic after its appearance on the MBC variety program 'Where Is My Home'. While touring a luxury residential area near a Pangyo golf course, the cast members expressed continuous admiration for the long outer walls and large landscaping spaces. In particular, they could not hide their surprise when it was explained during the broadcast that the area of this mansion accounts for a significant portion of the entire site of the 11 nearby households.

In the episode of MBC's 'Where Is My Home' aired on the 17th, former national football player Kim Nam-il and actor Kim Young-kwang conducted a 'site visit' to residential spaces in the Pangyo area of Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. Moving beyond typical apartment or villa listings to examine the local residential environment and real estate characteristics, large detached houses near the Pangyo golf course were introduced.

The location that instantly captured the cast's attention was Chairman Chung's mansion.

The mansion captured on screen was on a different dimension from typical luxury detached houses in terms of its exterior. The outer wall continuing from the entrance was surrounded by high fences and landscaping, and it was captured that the walls seemed to continue endlessly even while moving by vehicle. The exterior was so unusual that the cast described it as having "materials that look like they belong in a drama."\

What was particularly impressive was the 'length.' In a typical detached house, the building and garden are visible at a glance after passing through the main gate, but this mansion's perimeter walls and greenery occupied a considerable distance. Reactions such as "Just how far does this go?" emerged among the cast, and the sight of high walls and lush landscaping reminiscent of a 'fortress wall' surrounding an entire private estate.

The figures mentioned during the explanation of the scale also drew attention. The broadcast explained that among the 11 households in this residential area, the area occupied by Chairman Chung's mansion reaches approximately 50%. This meant that beyond being simply a large house, a single residence occupies a space equivalent to several surrounding plots, which naturally led to strong reactions from the cast.

Another large house located opposite was also of considerable size, but when placed side-by-side with Chairman Chung's mansion, the cast reacted that it was practically impossible to compare them. The expression 'unreachable wall' (neomsabyeok) even appeared, making viewers realize the residential scale of the Pangyo luxury residential area.

Pangyo is known as one of South Korea's representative high-tech industry and business hubs, as well as an area where luxury residential districts have formed. In particular, some detached house sites adjacent to golf courses and green spaces show a low-density, large-scale residential form that is entirely different from the typical apartment-centered residential landscape of Pangyo. As the scarcity of the land itself is high, detached houses that have secured large plots take on a form close to an independent living zone that includes privacy protection, landscaping, and the utilization of outdoor space beyond just a living space.

In this broadcast, large houses near Chairman Chung's mansion were also introduced. Another house visited by the production team also drew gasps from the cast, as it possessed a wide grass garden and a significant amount of outdoor space. It appeared that not only the interior area of the detached house but also the land and garden surrounding the building accounted for a substantial portion.

The maintenance costs were also vastly different from typical houses. As it was explained that the cost spent only on the grass and landscaping of the house reaches approximately 100 million won, it was revealed that landscaping in large detached houses is more like a separate managed asset rather than simple decoration. This is because continuous costs, such as labor and management fees, are required in addition to the initial construction costs to continuously maintain wide lawns, trees, and outdoor spaces.

An anecdote was also introduced that Chairman Chung sends gifts to those around him around holiday seasons. Following the appearance of a major conglomerate leader's private residential space on broadcast, the story of his relationship with neighbors added to the interest of viewers.

Chairman Chung is a businessman leading Shinsegae Group and is a figure who has exerted influence across major group businesses such as Emart and the overall retail industry. Along with the symbolism of being an owner-manager of a large retail company, he has frequently drawn attention through communication with the public via SNS. Therefore, the fact that his residential space was captured on screen drew interest distinct from the typical reveal of a celebrity's home.

Chung is also known to the public as the former husband of actress Go Hyeon-jeong. The two married in 1995 and have one son and one daughter, before divorcing in 2003. Chung remarried flutist Han Ji-hui in 2011.

What was revealed in this broadcast was the scale of the architecture and the grounds visible from the outside, rather than the specific internal lifestyle of the mansion. Therefore, the area ratios and costs mentioned in the broadcast should be viewed based on the information introduced in the program and should be distinguished from actual land area or market value.

Nevertheless, the overwhelming scale of the mansion, the long-stretching walls, and the massive landscaping—which are difficult to grasp by the standard concept of a house—stimulated viewers' curiosity regarding the fact that a single home can occupy a space equivalent to several surrounding houses. The broadcast fully revealed the nature of an ultra-large detached house that combines land, architecture, landscaping, and privacy protection beyond mere residential function.