Busan civic organizations have formally proposed the creation of a joint consultative body to resolve the legal dispute stalling construction of the North Port transit center.
Five groups — including the Busan Citizens' Solidarity for Decentralization and Balanced Development, the Maritime Capital Busan Development Council, the Busan Port Development Council and the Citizens' Association for Busan Port — held a press conference Tuesday at the Busan City Council briefing room, calling for a public-private governance framework for the project. "The North Port transit center must be built as a transfer hub connecting the city center and the port," the groups said, urging the formation of a dedicated task force bringing together the Busan Port Authority, Busan city government, Dong-gu district office, the developer and civic organizations.
The transit center was planned as a public infrastructure facility linking rail, urban rail, buses, taxis and maritime transport, but the project became mired in litigation after a 3.3-meter elevation gap emerged between the center and the pedestrian route connecting it to Busan Station. The Busan Port Authority demanded corrections from the developer, PCU Construction, citing violations of view and pedestrian rights. When PCU Construction failed to respond adequately, the authority notified the company on June 16 that it was terminating the sales contract for Block C-1 and filed for an injunction to halt construction. PCU Construction pushed back, calling the move "unilateral gapjil," and launched its own legal countermeasures.
The Busan District Court conducted an on-site inspection Wednesday and posed questions to both sides on whether the 3.3-meter gap constitutes a violation of citizens' view and pedestrian rights, whether the original approved architectural plans showed stairs or ramps, whether compliance with construction planning guidelines was included as a contractual condition, and whether the elevation gap could be resolved while foundation work was still under way without a design change. The court plans to hold one additional hearing on Sept. 10 before deciding whether to grant the construction-halt injunction.
The civic groups said the situation "must not be allowed to drag on indefinitely as a legal dispute" and argued it should instead be treated as an opportunity to normalize the project so the transit center can function properly. "North Port is an asset belonging to all Busan citizens, and the transit center is a core facility that will determine the port's competitiveness," they said, urging all parties to move forward with forming the task force.
kaf2002@heraldcorp.com
