[Exclusive] Blocking Jeju Construction in the Name of "Nature Conservation"... Was It Really About Money?

Heavy Equipment Operator Demands Large Sum in Presence of Village Head... Signs of Tacit Approval Shock Community

Sand Meant for "Preservation" Removed by Village-Recommended Operator: 20 Truckloads Taken Out

"Coastal Dune Preservation" Clai

A construction site in Iho-dong, Jeju City. Heavy machinery stands still alongside a banner put up by the village arguing for the preservation of the coastal sand dunes. A controversy has arisen over claims that the heavy machinery operator recommended by the village has been removing large amounts of sand from the dunes. Photo by Park Changwon.

In Iho-dong, Jeju City, a legally permitted construction project has been halted for several months under the village council’s banner of “nature conservation.” However, it has come to light that demands for a 10 million won development fund by a heavy machinery operator recommended by the village head, as well as evidence of sand from the dunes being removed, only surfaced after excessive interests and profit-driven conflicts emerged. This has led to suspicions that the original claim of environmental protection may have been nothing more than a pretext to disguise demands for money.

According to The Asia Business Daily’s reporting on March 15, the construction dispute, now framed as the “Ihodong sand dune controversy,” began with financial disagreements over the “village development fund” both before and after the groundbreaking, along with unreasonable demands far beyond common sense.

According to an audio recording obtained by The Asia Business Daily from a face-to-face meeting held in the Iho-dong district office on January 5, attended by Jeju City officials, representatives of the Iho Seo Village Association, and the project owner, the project owner handed money to the village on two occasions prior to the start of construction, aiming for smooth project progress and community harmony.

600,000 won handed over, but belittled as “that money means nothing” before being returned

The project owner voluntarily transferred 1 million won at the end of the year under the pretext of “meal expenses for village elders,” followed by an additional 5 million won on January 2 as a “village development fund,” totaling 6 million won.

However, during the meeting, a village official dismissed the amount, saying, “These days, 10 million won or 10 billion won is nothing. That 6 million? Don’t think it’s a big deal. Our village isn’t going to live or die over 6 million won.” This belittlement prompted the project owner to respond, “It’s a large sum for me, as I borrowed it from my son. Please don’t make light of it.”

The investigation found that this 6 million won was later returned to the project owner as the construction stoppage dispute intensified.

Demand for 10 million won made in front of the village head... False explanation about being “shocked”

The greater issue is the blatant financial pressure exerted both inside and outside the construction site.

The dump truck and excavator operators brought in at the beginning of the project were directly recommended by the village head and were, in fact, friends of his.

Most notably, according to the project owner, on the first day of construction, the dump truck operator gathered the village head, the secretary, and the project owner and directly demanded, “Pay 10 million won as a village development fund.”

What is even more serious is that both the village head and the secretary, who were present at the scene, did not stop this unreasonable demand; instead, they listened without objection, effectively condoning it.

Feeling pressured, the project owner later met the village head privately the next day and stated that “around 5 million won would be appropriate,” after which the money was sent to the village. This sequence of events has been confirmed through reporting.

Previously, the village head had told The Asia Business Daily that he was "shocked" by his friend, the dump truck operator, making such a statement.

However, since the demand for a large development fund was openly made while the village head was present, and there are claims that he directly negotiated the amount with the project owner, it has become difficult for the village leadership to avoid suspicions of tacit approval or even involvement.

The demand for a large development fund and allegations of sand dune sand smuggling, which surfaced belatedly behind the conflict in Ihodong advocating for "nature conservation," are shaking the village council's justification. (AI generated image)

Claiming to “protect the dunes,” yet the village’s own recommended operator removed sand equivalent to 20 truckloads

On top of this, a new allegation has fundamentally shaken the village council’s stated purpose of “environmental preservation.”

According to the project owner, the very dump truck operator recommended by the village head, in the area the village insisted must be preserved, removed sand equivalent to about 20 truckloads, stating, “I’ll use it where I need it,” and taking it off-site without permission.

The project owner approved the operator’s request and has confirmed the site where the removed dune sand is now being stored.

The fact that a key figure in the group that physically blocked a legal construction project for the sake of “protecting the dunes” ended up removing large quantities of that “precious dune sand” for personal use has drawn criticism that the village council’s “nature conservation” argument is fundamentally self-contradictory and inconsistent.

The sand dunes they “didn’t know about”... The claim of “preservation” lost its legitimacy as it became entangled with demands for money

In response, the village council argued that they did not initially realize there were coastal sand dunes at the site, only learning of their existence after hearing from the heavy machinery operator on-site, and that they halted the project “to preserve the remaining dunes, even if belatedly.”

However, the timing of the construction halt, the involvement of village leadership in demanding large development funds, and the removal of dune sand all coincided, further undermining the village council’s claim that it was purely acting to protect the environment.

In a situation where financial interests and profit-seeking were entangled, the village council’s belated invocation of “dune preservation” appears to be nothing more than a post hoc justification for obstructing the project, prompting criticism.

After enduring these events, the project owner, who received all the necessary legal permits to build on a 594-square-meter plot, lamented, “How much more do I have to pay in village development funds to be allowed to proceed with construction?” He added, “I even stated in front of the village council and Jeju City officials that I was willing to pay up to 30 million won in development funds,” and sighed deeply.

Ultimately, this collective action over a legally developable site that Jeju Province and Jeju City have officially determined is “not a coastal sand dune” has exposed the bitter reality of financial demands and profit-driven involvement hiding behind lofty claims of environmental preservation, making it difficult for the wider Jeju community to overlook the infringement of legitimate private property rights.

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