Construction Companies of Gimpo 'Wangneung View Apartment' Win Final Lawsuit Against Cultural Heritage Administration

A construction company that built so-called 'royal tomb view apartments' near Gimpo Jangneung, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, has won a final victory in a lawsuit against the Cultural Heritage Administration seeking to cancel the order to stop construction.

According to the legal community on the 30th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Ahn Cheol-sang) recently dismissed the appeal without oral argument, thereby upholding the second trial ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, Daekwang ENC and Daekwang Geonyeong, in their lawsuit against the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration's Royal Tombs and Historic Sites Headquarters to cancel the construction suspension order. Dismissal without oral argument is a system where the Supreme Court decides there is no reason for further appeal and dismisses the case without hearing it.

In 2021, the Cultural Heritage Administration ordered the suspension of construction on 19 out of 44 apartment buildings, totaling about 3,400 units, built by construction companies including Daekwang ENC, Daebang Construction, and JS Global. The reason was that these companies violated the Cultural Heritage Protection Act by building apartments over 20 meters high within a 500-meter radius of Gimpo Jangneung, a historic cultural environment preservation area, without prior review since 2019.

However, the court accepted the construction companies' request to temporarily suspend the effect of the construction suspension order, and accordingly, the apartments have now been completed and occupied.

Gimpo Jangneung, Historic Site No. 202, is the tomb of Wonjong (1580?1619), the fifth son of King Seonjo and father of King Injo, and his wife Queen Inheon (1578?1626). It is one of the 40 Joseon royal tombs registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

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