Fake Address Registration in Guryong Village for Development Compensation? Court Rules "Cannot Deny Registration Based on Suspicion Alone"

Seoul Gangnam-gu Guryong Village Residents' Autonomous Center being demolished following the resumption of administrative enforcement on February 16, 2015

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A court ruling has declared that refusing to accept a move-in registration for Guryong Village solely on suspicion of false address registration is illegal.

According to the legal community on the 1st, the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 8 (Chief Judge Lee Jonghwan) ruled in favor of Plaintiff A in a lawsuit filed against the head of Gaepo 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, seeking cancellation of the refusal to accept the resident registration move-in application.

Previously, in August 2019, Plaintiff A filed a move-in registration for Guryong Village in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, but the head of Gaepo 1-dong refused it, stating, "Guryong Village is designated as an urban development zone and subject to development plan establishment and topographic map announcement, so move-in registrations are restricted."

Plaintiff A argued, "I have lived in Guryong Village since 1994," and "I filed the move-in registration with the intention of residing for more than 30 days, so refusing to accept it is illegal and should be canceled."

The court ruled in favor of Plaintiff A. The court stated, "Considering the facts and evidence, it is reasonable to believe that the plaintiff filed the move-in registration with the intention of residing at the registered address for more than 30 days," and "there is no evidence to suggest that the plaintiff resides elsewhere."

In fact, the house where Plaintiff A registered had a gas stove, refrigerator, washing machine, his clothes, blankets, and various household items. When the district head visited several times during weekdays, Plaintiff A was found to be at the house. According to credit card usage records, Plaintiff A mainly shopped near Guryong Village for several months before and after the move-in registration. The mobile phone call origin locations were mostly Gaepo-dong or nearby Yangjae-dong in Seocho-gu.

The court stated, "It appears that the plaintiff has lived at the move-in registration address as a base of daily life for a considerable period," and "although the defendant seems to have refused the move-in registration on the assumption that the plaintiff intended to register a false address for compensation purposes, the defendant has failed to present evidence supporting that the plaintiff neither actually resides there nor intends to register a false address only," the court pointed out.

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