"This is Administration!"... The Story Behind Seongbuk-gu Office Officials Resolving 60 Years of Shared Land Division?

Completion of Partitioning Shared Land at 238 Samseon-dong 1-ga (Plot, 1137.2㎡) into 12 Individually Owned Parcels after Over 60 Years of Shared Ownership Restricting Property Rights and Land Use

Visit to the residence of an unknown material co-owner

Consultation Among Co-owners for Settlement Adjustment

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) announced that it has completed the division of the land at 238 Samseon-dong 1-ga (parcel, 1,137.2㎡), which had been co-owned for over 60 years, into 12 individually owned parcels, resolving restrictions on property rights and land use.

The land at 238 Samseon-dong 1-ga was originally state-owned, but from 1955, the government sold it as shared ownership without dividing the land to occupants of buildings on the land. As a result, it remained co-owned by 16 individuals trading shares of the land in subsequent sales.

Due to the aging buildings, redevelopment or expansion required unanimous consent from all co-owners, effectively halting development activities, leading to a continuous deterioration of the residential environment. Additionally, restrictions on mortgage loans and unfavorable appraisals caused the land value to be undervalued, creating a vicious cycle.

Some co-owners had visited the district office to overcome this cycle, but each time, they were unable to apply for division due to reasons such as the whereabouts of other co-owners being unknown. Even when applications were possible, they were repeatedly discouraged by responses citing violations of related laws such as the Building Act, leading to multiple withdrawals of division requests.

However, with the enactment of the Special Act on the Division of Shared Land in 2012, designed to alleviate inconveniences in exercising property rights, and with the district officials well aware of the difficulties faced by residents due to shared land, the officials guided the co-owners based on previous consultation records and actively engaged in listening and communicating with them. As a result, the land division was completed after 1 year and 8 months of proactive administration.

The district faced many difficulties and challenges during the shared land division process. In particular, to identify heirs of deceased owners, overseas and out-of-district residents, and those with unknown whereabouts, officials conducted investigations and site visits, even forming teams to visit during nighttime outside working hours. Ultimately, cooperation for division was obtained through court inheritance registration, email correspondence with overseas residents, and visits to out-of-district residents.

Furthermore, to complete the division, settlement regarding area increases or decreases before and after division among co-owners was essential. Since many co-owners were elderly and had complex interests, several resident briefings were held where officials visited to explain the costs and expected benefits of the division. This resulted in voluntary payment and receipt of settlement funds without a single objection.

Additionally, through this proactive administration involving outreach, communication, and cooperation with residents during the shared land division process, the district achieved the highest number of shared land division cases and the second highest number of parcels handled in Seoul. This accomplishment led to receiving the 2020 Excellence Award in Land Policy for land and cadastral management and shared land division work.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro stated, “Along with resolving a long-standing civil complaint lasting about 60 years and improving convenience for residents, I commend the efforts of those involved in practicing proactive administration. We will continue to strive to create an administrative environment trusted by residents through communicative land and cadastral policies.”

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