Court Maintains Suspension of 'Namsan Gondola Construction'... Seoul City's Appeal Dismissed

Administrative Lawsuits Filed Over Namsan Gondola Construction
Court Upholds Suspension of Construction Pending Main Lawsuit
Seoul's Appeal Dismissed; Gondola Project Remains on Hold

The court's decision to halt the construction of the Namsan Gondola in Seoul was upheld in the appellate court as well. Previously, the first-instance court had granted a suspension of execution requested by the Namsan Cable Car operator, and although the Seoul Metropolitan Government immediately appealed, the appeal was not accepted.

According to the legal community on the 31st, the Administrative Division 3 of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Yoon Gang-yeol) dismissed Seoul’s appeal against the suspension of execution application regarding the urban management plan decision filed against the Namsan Cable Car operator on the 28th. As a result, the suspension of execution remains in effect, suspending the enforcement of the decision until 30 days after the main lawsuit ruling date.

Earlier, Seoul announced plans to operate a gondola system carrying up to 1,600 people per hour from Myeongdong Station to Namsan. To operate the gondola, Seoul planned to install intermediate supports (reinforced concrete pillars) over 30 meters high on Namsan and change the land use designation of the area from an urban natural park zone to an urban planning facility park.

The Namsan Cable Car operator, Korea Sakkdo Industry, and others claimed that the city did not comply with the criteria for canceling the urban natural park zone during this process. They filed a lawsuit last September to cancel the urban management plan decision and applied for a suspension of execution to oppose the gondola project.

In October last year, the Seoul Administrative Court accepted Korea Sakkdo Industry’s application, stating, "The applicants are recognized to have an urgent need to prevent irreparable damage caused by this decision, and it is unlikely that suspending the effect of this decision would significantly impact the public welfare."

Seoul immediately appealed this court decision, but the high court maintained the suspension of execution in the appellate review as well.

The main lawsuit is currently ongoing at the Seoul Administrative Court, with a hearing scheduled for the 18th of next month.

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