Changwon Myeongseo Market Public Parking Lot Surrounding Two Houses ... Residents' Committee Demands Explanation for Isolation and Resolution

Changwon City: "Negotiations Broke Down Due to Compensation Disagreement, Will Work to Resolve Complaints"

Residents living near Myeongseo Market in Uichang-gu, Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, have called for a resolution, claiming damages to homes isolated within the Myeongseo Market Second Public Parking Lot.

The Residents' Countermeasure Committee for Resolving Damages to Isolated Houses in the Myeongseo Market Second Parking Lot held a press conference in front of the parking lot on the 14th, stating, "Because the parking lot surrounds our homes, residents are suffering from dust, exhaust fumes, and noise."

The Residents' Countermeasure Committee for Resolving Isolated House Damage at Myeongseo Market Second Parking Lot, Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, is holding a press conference. [Photo by Residents' Countermeasure Committee for Resolving Isolated House Damage]

According to the committee, Changwon City established the public parking lot near Myeongseo Market in Uichang-gu last year through a traditional market revitalization project.

The completed parking lot was constructed in an unusual shape, surrounding two houses.

The committee claimed, "In March 2021, Changwon City notified six households on the current parking lot site of the results of the site selection for the public parking lot, the compensation evaluation amount, and a one-month negotiation period. However, after a month, two of these households were excluded from the target site without any explanation, resulting in an irregularly shaped parking lot."

"When the households that were not expropriated raised concerns, the city said compensation would be provided sequentially, asked us to wait, and promised to proceed with the expropriation. But after construction was completed, they deceived residents by saying they would apply for a new project and carry out additional construction," they added.

The committee demanded, "It is unacceptable for the administration to make mistakes regarding residents and then refuse to acknowledge or take responsibility. Changwon City must disclose the compensation and expropriation process for all households on the parking lot site and prepare a direct expropriation plan for the two isolated houses."

Residents of the isolated houses stated, "With the parking lot completed in what is called an 'Albakgi' form, we have been stigmatized as selfish neighbors, suffered business losses, and been left with humiliating wounds."

They also complained about noise and vibrations during construction, exhaust fumes and dust from the parking lot, invasion of privacy due to closed-circuit (CC) TV installation, and poor living conditions caused by geothermal and radiant heat.

"When the initial compensation and negotiation proposal was presented, we only requested that our situation as a commercial-residential building, unlike a regular house, be considered, since it is our livelihood. We were never offered a specific amount, nor did we receive any explanation or guidance about expropriation from the city," they said.

A view from above of Myeongseo Market 2nd Parking Lot in Uichang District, Changwon City, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Goripjutaek 피해 해결 주민대책위원회

In response, Changwon City explained, "We proceeded with the project after obtaining a preliminary real estate purchase agreement in August 2019 based on the appraised value, and in March 2021, we notified the owners of the appraised amounts and began negotiations. However, negotiations broke down due to disagreements over compensation."

"Until July 2017, we attempted to provide compensation through multiple negotiations with the market merchants' association president and relevant parties, but the owners did not agree. Later, during a civil complaint meeting, we replied that we would apply for an additional Myeongseo Market parking environment improvement project and provide compensation," the city added.

The city stated, "We are currently waiting for the results after applying for the project to Gyeongnam Province. It is difficult to fully cover the more than 1.7 billion won cost of the second parking lot with only city funds, and there are concerns about fairness when constructing other parking lots."

Additionally, the city said, "We will strive to have the parking environment improvement project selected as a national project next year, and even if it is not selected this time, we will continue to apply for project funding to resolve the complaints."

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