Seoul City Councilor Lee Kyung-sun Urges Prompt Eviction Enforcement of Jangwi-dong Sarang Jeil Church

Call for Establishing a Redevelopment Project Management System Capable of Responding to Infectious Disease Outbreaks

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Lee Kyung-sun, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Urban Planning and Management Committee (Democratic Party, Seongbuk 4), urged the prompt enforcement of eviction against Sarang Jeil Church in Jangwi-dong, which has become a hotspot for the spread of COVID-19, to ensure residents' safety.

Jangwi 10 District in Seongbuk-gu is an area undergoing redevelopment, having received management disposition approval in 2017, and currently, 99% of residents have relocated.

However, Sarang Jeil Church, located within the district, has demanded compensation approximately 50 billion KRW higher than the appraised value, refusing to relocate, which has delayed the project.

In response, the association filed an eviction lawsuit and won in May. The appeal filed by five building tenants, including Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, was also dismissed in July, making the eviction of Sarang Jeil Church possible.

Accordingly, the court attempted eviction twice in June this year, but both attempts failed due to opposition from church members and related personnel.

In this situation, COVID-19 cases related to Sarang Jeil Church have emerged, increasing to 623 as of noon on the 19th (according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency estimates), spreading anxiety among nearby residents.

Lee Kyung-sun, whose constituency includes Jangwi-dong and Seokgwan-dong, stated, “The Seoul Metropolitan Government should work closely with the court to promptly enforce eviction to alleviate residents' anxiety about the spread of COVID-19 in the area,” and urged, “Since approximately 8.2 billion KRW in compensation has been deposited with the court, Seoul should immediately claim subrogation rights against Sarang Jeil Church.”

Regarding the redevelopment project, she added, “Many redevelopment districts in Seoul are delayed due to difficulties such as holding general meetings amid COVID-19,” and emphasized, “It is urgent to establish redevelopment work guidelines applicable during infectious disease periods.”

Lee cited the Ministry of Strategy and Finance’s temporary allowance of written general meetings for cooperatives since March and urged, “Redevelopment projects should actively adopt systems such as permitting non-face-to-face general meetings and introducing electronic voting to ensure smooth progress even during prolonged infectious disease outbreaks.”

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