"Dispute Over Danyang Columbarium: 'Hate Facility' vs. 'Private Interest Appropriation'"

A Memorial Hall Opened in Daedeok-myeon Last November
Director of Nearby Nursing Hospital Mobilized Staff for Opposition
Allegations of Attempted Land Sale to Business Operator
Hospital Director Denies, Calling Claims "Completely Baseless"
Escalation to Lawsuits and Complaints Raises Concerns Over Waste of Administrative Resources

Damyanggun Daedeokmyeon Memorial Hall exterior view. Provided by reader

There are allegations that some residents are inciting conflict for personal gain regarding a columbarium in Damyang County, Jeollanam-do, which has faced opposition from nearby villages due to its status as an unwanted facility.

The long-standing conflict has escalated into a dispute over the truth, as claims have emerged that a nearby nursing hospital, which had maintained opposition to the memorial facility for years, actually attempted to sell its land to the business operator.

In particular, as this conflict has led to administrative lawsuits and other legal disputes, there are criticisms that it is resulting in a waste of administrative resources.

According to Damyang County and other sources on the 16th, the A Memorial Hall opened last November in Daedeok-myeon, Damyang. The operator of the memorial hall had been pushing for the installation of the columbarium in the Munhak-ri area of Daedeok-myeon since 2001.

Originally, the columbarium was promoted by Damyang County and a foundation, but as the project was delayed for a long time due to legal disputes, the operator changed it to a religious corporation in 2022.

Throughout the approval and construction process, there were ongoing conflicts with nearby villages over concerns about unwanted facilities. However, allegations have arisen that key opponents, such as the director of B Nursing Hospital and the head of C Village, have actually tried to seek personal gain.

Employees of a nearby nursing hospital mobilized at the "Opposition Rally to the Construction Permit of the Columbarium" in Daedeok-myeon, Damyang-gun, Jeonnam. Photo provided by a reader

It has been confirmed that many employees of the nursing hospital participated in the "protest against the construction permit for the columbarium" that continued from 2021 until recently. At the time, they argued that the presence of the columbarium would drive patients away, thereby harming the hospital's operations.

Amid this situation, it is claimed that the director of B Nursing Hospital purchased about 20,000 square meters of land near the memorial hall in 2013 under his wife's name and tried to sell this land to the operator of the memorial hall. While outwardly opposing the columbarium project, he allegedly used village residents to seek personal gain, thus fueling the conflict.

A representative of the A Memorial Hall operator explained, "In July and August last year, an acquaintance of the B Nursing Hospital director, Mr. D, personally visited and inquired if the land could be sold for 12 billion won. We met three times to discuss the matter, but since the columbarium project had been delayed for a long time and was in its final stages, we ultimately rejected the proposal."

On the other hand, Mr. D said, "The A Memorial Hall operator and the B Nursing Hospital director are from the same hometown and know each other well. However, since it was a conversation from a long time ago, I don't remember the details. We may have talked about the land sale, but I usually meet the operator because we are on friendly terms."

The director of B Nursing Hospital denied the allegations, saying, "I bought the land to develop a healing program for attracting foreign patients. I do not know Mr. D, who is said to have met with the operator."

It was also confirmed that coercive measures were used to suppress the opinions of village residents. In December 2021, C, the village head (and chairman of the committee opposing the columbarium), added a clause to the Daedeok-myeon village self-governance regulations stating that those who support the columbarium project cannot exercise resident rights. It was also specified that opinions would not be collected from residents who lost their rights.

At that time, the operator of A Memorial Hall was trying to establish the columbarium as a foundation and was collecting residents' opinions, considering public interest. In September 2021, the operator confirmed that some residents had expressed opposition based on the unilateral opinions of the village head and the nursing hospital director, but also received statements of agreement and consent forms from 22 residents.

As a result of the changed regulations, the opinion that "residents oppose the columbarium" was formed in a semi-coercive manner and was later used as material for complaints to the local government.

As the conflict escalated into legal disputes, administrative resources are also being wasted. Since last year, three criminal complaints, including alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act, and five administrative actions, including appeals and lawsuits, have been filed. However, the police dismissed all three criminal complaints as unfounded, and the claimants themselves withdrew the administrative appeals.

C, the village head, explained, "With administrative lawsuits still pending regarding the number of church members and the scale of the project, I believe Damyang County's administrative procedures in granting the permit were flawed. Only some residents expressed support, and we changed the village regulations out of concern for internal conflict."

Regarding this, a representative of A Memorial Hall said, "This memorial hall project has taken decades and is being carried out through due legal process. It is frustrating that opposition continues despite the fact that all the numerous complaints and accusations have been dismissed."

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