Goyang City Expresses Regret Over First Trial Ruling on New City Hall Relocation Lawsuit... Plans to Appeal

Court Dismisses Three Out of Four Claims, Accepts One
Plaintiff to Bear 75% of Litigation Costs, City 25%
City: "No Illegality Recognized in City Hall Relocation or Use of Reserve Funds"
Goyang: "We Will Prove the Legitimacy and Legality of Our Administration to the End"

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) announced on the 17th that it regrets the outcome of the first trial ruling on September 16 regarding the 'Resident Lawsuit on the Relocation (Change) of the New City Hall to the Yojin Office Building.' The city expressed its dissatisfaction with the result of "dismissal of three items and acceptance of one item" among the litigation issues and stated that it plans to file an appeal after a legal review.

Exterior view of Goyang Special City Hall. Provided by Goyang Special City.

This lawsuit was filed over the legality of using reserve funds for a feasibility study, which arose in the process of utilizing the Baekseok-dong office building, donated to the city, as the new city hall. The city aimed to reduce construction costs for the new city hall by approximately 295 billion won and minimize the financial burden on citizens.

The Uijeongbu District Court (First Administrative Division) dismissed all claims filed by Plaintiff A regarding the following three items: △ failure to allocate funds in the main and supplementary budgets, △ lack of approval for reserve fund expenditure, and △ failure to comply with the city council's audit request.

However, regarding △ failure to comply with the city council's demand for reimbursement, the court recognized the illegality, stating that it constituted "negligence in property management" as stipulated in Article 22 of the Local Autonomy Act.

The city emphasized that this ruling does not acknowledge any illegality in the city hall relocation process or in the use of reserve funds itself.

The city further pointed out that the accepted issue is limited solely to whether the city failed to process the city council's reimbursement demand. The court's recognition of illegality in failing to pursue reimbursement does not mean that the use of reserve funds for the feasibility study on the city hall relocation was unjustified. The city criticized the court for not fully reflecting the context of actual administrative operations and financial execution procedures.

Additionally, the city explained that the ruling does not recognize any illegality in the content or results of the feasibility study for the city hall relocation project. Therefore, the basis and legitimacy for pursuing the relocation project remain intact. The city argued that the real issue in this dispute is the city council's excessive and unreasonable demand for reimbursement over the payment for a legitimate service result.

Exterior view of Baekseok Commercial Building. Provided by Goyang Special City

Goyang Special City plans to appeal the ruling after seeking legal counsel and conducting a thorough review. The city stressed that, in the appellate trial, it will once again clearly demonstrate the legality and legitimacy of its administrative and financial actions to ensure fair and transparent governance for its citizens.

The city also added that it will continue to prioritize the interests of its citizens, transparently disclose all processes and outcomes to restore administrative trust and prevent recurrence, and actively gather external opinions to avoid confusion and disadvantages.

Meanwhile, the ruling specified that "the plaintiff shall bear 75% of the litigation costs, and the defendant (the city) shall bear the remainder."

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