Controversial 'Fake Geobukseon' Funded with 1.6 Billion Won of Public Money to Be Burned Eventually

Notice of Contract Termination for Bidder's Failure to Deliver on Time
Controversies Persist Over Fake Wood and Low-Price Sales

Due to difficulties in management, Geoje City in Gyeongnam, which had auctioned off the Turtle Ship for about 1.54 million won, will ultimately dispose of it. The successful bidder, who was supposed to take over the Turtle Ship, failed to take possession by the original deadline of the 26th.

On the 26th, Geoje City announced, "Since the successful bidder did not transfer the Turtle Ship by the delivery deadline today, we have notified the contract termination and plan to move it to a waste incineration facility for disposal." The bidder had expressed their intention to give up the acquisition on the 23rd, and is expected to receive about 850,000 won back from the fully paid 1.54 million won purchase price.

Geoje Turtle Ship was created in 2010 with a budget of 1.6 billion won as part of the 'Admiral Yi Sun-sin Memorial Project.' At that time, it was made based on expert verification to resemble its appearance during the Imjin War in 1592, and it was also called the '1592 Turtle Ship.'
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Geoje Turtle Ship was created in 2010 with a budget of 1.6 billion won as part of the 'Admiral Yi Sun-sin Memorial Project.' It was made based on expert verification to resemble the appearance during the Imjin War in 1592, and was also called the '1592 Turtle Ship.'

However, controversy arose from the start as the manufacturer violated the contract to use domestic Korean pine 'Geumgangsong' and instead used over 80% foreign wood, leading to the company representative being detained. As a result, the shipbuilding company representative was sentenced to prison for fraud and other charges.

After its construction, managing the Turtle Ship became problematic. Although it was originally planned to be used for tourist boarding experiences, water accumulated on the floor and it tilted severely. Even after being brought ashore, the wood rotted badly, and it was damaged by natural disasters such as typhoons. Maintenance costs alone amounted to over 150 million won.

Eventually, Geoje City decided to dispose of the Turtle Ship and put it up for auction. After seven failed attempts, on May 16th, a woman in her 60s, Ms. A, won the bid for 1,545,380 won. The price was chosen to correspond with Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s birthdate, March 8, 1545.

Ms. A, an educator from Geoje, intended to use the Turtle Ship for experiential learning. However, the location where she planned to move the ship fell within the Hallyeohaesang National Park area, and regulations such as Ministry of Environment permits hindered the process. Moving the Turtle Ship, which measures 25.6m in length, 6.87m in width, 6.06m in height, and weighs 120 tons, was also a challenge. Despite exploring various methods, Ms. A ultimately gave up.

Accordingly, Geoje City decided to move the Turtle Ship to a waste incineration facility for disposal due to the paint and coating materials applied to the wood, which require special handling rather than general incineration. The city will bear the incineration costs.

The Geoje Turtle Ship is expected to be disposed of next month after procedures such as selecting a disposal company are completed. The wood used in the hull will be incinerated, and the metal parts are expected to be sold to scrap dealers.

Meanwhile, as the Turtle Ship is ultimately incinerated, negligence in management has come under scrutiny. Gyeongnam Province is conducting an audit of the city. It is reported that the province has partially confirmed negligence by staff during the overall management process of the Turtle Ship.

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