Gyeonggi-do Cracks Down on 16 Illegal Riverbed Occupations with Criminal Charges and More 'Iron Fist' Measures

[Asia Economy (Gapyeong) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has identified and criminally charged 16 businesses illegally occupying rivers. The province plans to conduct a large-scale investigation next month to check for illegal use of rivers within the province.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police announced on the 7th that, despite providing sufficient guidance periods through administrative enforcement procedures, they have identified and criminally charged 16 businesses in the Gapyeong area that refused voluntary removal and continued illegal occupation.

The special judicial police notified Gapyeong County of the results and requested restoration measures.

The main violations by these businesses include 15 cases of unauthorized occupation and use of river areas without permission, which is the most frequent violation. This was followed by failure to comply with restoration orders within the designated period.

Among the major violation cases, Mr. A, the owner of a recreational area in a famous valley in Gapyeong-eup, illegally occupied land within the local river (Seungancheon) area near the recreational site, installing a total of 31 facilities (total area 977.9㎡) including steel structures and containers, and leased them as lodging facilities, bungalows, and warehouses, earning approximately 50 million KRW annually in illicit profits.

Mr. B, residing in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong County, was caught in this crackdown for creating and using a simple golf course and landscaping features (pond) on land within the local river (Byeokgyecheon) area in front of his residence without occupation permission.

Also, Mr. C, living in Gapyeong-eup, installed buildings and decks without permission within the local river (Daljeoncheon) area and received a restoration order from the river management authority, Gapyeong County, but did not demolish them within the deadline and strongly resisted, leading to his identification this time.

Inchi Kwon, head of the provincial special judicial police, stated, "Unconscionable actors who have recklessly damaged and used river areas for personal gain without permission for decades have been identified this time," adding, "Especially to prevent illegal facilities such as river platforms from being reinstalled this summer, a large-scale investigation of all local rivers in the province is planned around June."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.