[Exclusive] Sarang Jeil Church Resists 'Preservation' Despite 50 Billion Won Compensation

"Will Maintain Defamation"… Church Sends Official Letter to Association
Association "Not Involved in Broadcast Content, Will Comply with Agreement"

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Noh Kyung-jo] Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon's Sarang Jeil Church (hereafter the church) announced that it would continue to 'remain' if necessary, urging the Jangwi 10 District Redevelopment Association (hereafter the association) to address public opinion neglect and to provide a land use consent form. This came less than a month after the association confirmed the payment of a large land site worth 15 billion KRW and compensation of 50 billion KRW.

According to the real estate and redevelopment industry on the 12th, all church members sent an official letter to the head of the Jangwi 10 District Association on the 29th of last month. The letter contained suspicions about the association's insincere attitude and stated that if the land use consent form was not provided, the church would remain.

The church first claimed that the association had not taken honor restoration measures according to the conditionally approved agreement, and that KBS and MBC were indiscriminately defaming the church. The MBC PD Notebook broadcast on the 27th of last month, which dealt with the church's redevelopment compensation and the use of offerings, was pointed out as spreading false information and defamation, and the association was accused of neglecting this.

They then said, "Without providing the land use consent form, the church cannot relocate, and if the land use consent form is not given, we will consider the agreement broken," adding, "(In this case) we plan to remain, so secure three of the six roads and restore the church to its original state."

The association immediately replied the next day, stating, "The association was not involved in or influenced the content of broadcasts such as MBC. We cannot hide our surprise at the claim that the association neglected the broadcasts and acted insincerely."

They continued, "Article 2, Clause 4 of the agreement states, 'Party A (the association) shall provide the land use consent form for building permits on the day Party B (the church) hands over the building and receives the interim payment,'" adding, "The association will faithfully fulfill this clause, but we hope the church will also understand." This is interpreted to mean that the association will comply with the agreement to pay 30 billion KRW as an interim payment upon receiving the church building and pay the balance within two months, and expects the church to cooperate accordingly.

Other remarks were restrained. Local real estate agencies were the same. Jang Soon-young, the association head, and other executives are continuing long meetings.

In response, the church emphasized that the association should announce that it paid the compensation for its own benefit and that there is no problem even if the church remains.

Church lawyer Lee Sung-hee said, "The association decided earlier this year to proceed with the project excluding the church and said no damages would occur because of this," adding, "However, when the revised price ceiling system was implemented in July allowing essential redevelopment costs to be reflected in the sale price, the association changed its stance." He added, "Since it is beneficial for the church to remain, it does not mind not receiving compensation," and "We will watch how the association acts."

Seoul Seongbuk-gu Sarang Jeil Church / Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

The Jangwi 10 District redevelopment is a project to build 2,004 apartment units on a 94,245㎡ site at 68-37 Jangwi-dong, Seongbuk-gu. Daewoo Construction is in charge of construction. The association received management disposition approval in 2017, and all facilities except the church have been demolished.

Previously, the church also negotiated compensation with the association. However, at the final demolition stage at the end of 2019, the church demanded 56.3 billion KRW in compensation and began so-called 'blocking tactics.' They demanded a total of 56.3 billion KRW in compensation, including 11 billion KRW for opportunity costs such as decreased congregation and financial losses, and 35.8 billion KRW for construction costs to build a new worship hall six times larger than the existing one.

The church site was designated as a special district under the 2008 Seoul City Redevelopment Promotion Plan and must comply with the 'New Town Districts and Religious Facilities Handling Plan' when developing. This plan prioritizes the preservation of religious facilities and requires relocation plans equivalent to preservation if relocation is unavoidable. It is an internal guideline without legal binding force.

The conflict between the two sides led to legal battles, and over the past three years, the church lost all three trials in eviction lawsuits. However, the church physically resisted and blocked six forced demolitions. Eventually, the association held a general meeting on the 6th of last month and agreed to pay compensation.

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