Jeju Dream Tower Facing Backlash Amid Jeju Provincial Office Search Controversy

"Jeju Provincial Office Search on 4th Last Month, Issue Raised in Provincial Council a Month Later"

Jeju Province Submits Data to Police That Could Not Be Voluntarily Provided Due to Regulations

Jeju Dream Tower Addresses Suspicion Mentionin

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] Jeju Dream Tower, a landmark of Jeju, is struggling with ongoing adversities.

According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council on the 22nd, the agenda item titled ‘Opinion Presentation on the Application for Permission to Change the Location and Area of LT Casino Business’ was postponed at the Culture, Tourism, and Sports Committee meeting held on the 19th.

Additionally, during the council members’ questioning, it was revealed that the police conducted a search and seizure at the Jeju Provincial Office related to the casino relocation.

The search and seizure at the Jeju Provincial Office on the 4th of last month originated from suspicions raised by some quarters about manipulation of public opinion collection from residents regarding the casino relocation within Jeju Dream Tower.

However, it was confirmed that the police’s search and seizure was carried out because the materials needed for the investigation were not subject to voluntary submission under relevant laws.

Regarding this, the police explained, “The search and seizure were conducted according to procedures, and since there were materials related to the casino relocation survey that could not be voluntarily submitted by regulation, we proceeded to obtain them directly.”

The head of the Jeju Provincial Casino Policy Division also stated, “The casino impact assessment report and the list of review committee members could not be voluntarily submitted under the Information Disclosure Act, so we explained the situation to the police and, having been notified of the search and seizure in advance, submitted copies to the police.”

Nevertheless, as related suspicions did not subside following the council’s inquiries, Jeju Dream Tower issued a clarification on the same day, stating, “The collection of residents’ opinions was conducted fairly and properly according to Jeju Province’s ordinances and enforcement regulations.”

They added, “This situation is similar to when a broadcasting company raised suspicions of inadequate collection of residents’ opinions ahead of the Jeju Provincial Council’s site visit in February,” and claimed, “It seems there is an invisible hand behind this.”

Jeju Dream Tower identified the ‘invisible hand’ as Company A, which lost an external laundry service bid.

According to Jeju Dream Tower, immediately after Company A lost the bid, it threatened the LT Casino president by claiming it would expose suspicions of survey manipulation.

A representative of Jeju Dream Tower said, “Dream Tower is at risk of sinking even before it has fully started. The fate of Lotte Tour Development, the operator of Jeju Dream Tower, which invested 1 trillion won in capital, notified 1,000 new employees of their hiring, and relocated its headquarters to Jeju, is at stake due to vested interests, prejudice, and selfishness.”

Kim Han-jun, president of Lotte Tour Development, the operator of Jeju Dream Tower, said, “We will keep our promise to return 12 billion won over three years no matter what happens, even if the COVID-19 situation continues.”

Meanwhile, the agenda item ‘Opinion Presentation on the Application for Permission to Change the Location and Area of LT Casino Business,’ which was postponed by the Culture, Tourism, and Sports Committee of the Jeju Provincial Council on the 19th, will be resubmitted on the 24th.

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