Gyeongnam Province Loses Robot Land Appeal... Considering Further Appeal

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The court once again sided with the private business operator in the lawsuit involving Gyeongnam Province, Changwon City, the Gyeongnam Robot Land Foundation, and Gyeongnam Masan Robot Land regarding Robot Land.

On the 12th, the Civil Division 2 of Changwon District Court dismissed the appeal filed by the plaintiffs, including Gyeongnam Province, in the appeal trial concerning the claim for payment upon termination, and upheld the first trial’s ruling to grant the private business operator’s claim for payment upon termination.

In October 2021, the first trial court ordered Gyeongnam Province and others to pay 112.6 billion KRW, including operating expenses, to the private business operator.

On this day, Gyeongnam Province announced the results of an audit conducted since October last year targeting Gyeongnam Province, Changwon City, and the Gyeongnam Robot Land Foundation, along with the identified issues.

They cited ▲lack of appropriateness in the calculation standards for payment upon termination and negligence in reviewing private business expenses ▲ overall negligence in management and supervision of the project ▲ delays caused by passive administration in the contribution work of the development site ▲ inadequate response after recognizing the possibility of contract termination by the private business operator.

Ha Jongmok, Director of Planning and Coordination at Gyeongnam Province, is discussing the appellate court ruling and audit details regarding Masan Robot Land in Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

A provincial official stated, “The causes and responsibilities for the termination of the Robot Land implementation agreement can be attributed to Gyeongnam Province, Changwon City, and the Foundation, but the detailed responsibility will be clearly clarified through analysis of the judgment.” He added, “It is regrettable that the heavy burden caused by the mistakes of the 6th and 7th elected provincial administrations has fallen on the 8th elected administration.”

He continued, “It is regrettable that the appellate court interpreted the agreement mainly based on the claims of the private business operator.” He added, “We will analyze the judgment to determine whether to file a further appeal based on practical benefits, and we will prepare revitalization measures for Robot Land to normalize the project.”

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