Seongbuk-gu district mayor says president ordered crackdown on Sarang Jeil Church's redevelopment obstruction

Seongbuk-gu District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said Wednesday that President Lee Jae Myung has ordered strong law enforcement against Sarang Jeil Church's efforts to block a redevelopment project in Jangwi-dong, Seongbuk-gu, by refusing to vacate its site.

Lee appeared on MBC's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" Wednesday morning and said the church's obstruction has caused serious harm to members of the redevelopment association.

Asked what measures the district office could take at this point, Lee said the process had already dragged on so long that any revision to the redevelopment plan would take at least three more years. "As a result, a large number of association members have relocated elsewhere and have been living in rental housing for more than 10 years," he said. "They feel strongly that the continued delays are making their situation untenable."

He added that the only realistic option now is to proceed with the redevelopment while leaving the church in place.

Lee said the church's resistance has delayed the project by about five years, during which annual interest costs of between 15 billion and 20 billion won have accumulated. "Total interest alone has reached somewhere between 70 billion and 100 billion won," he said.

"All of this is a loss borne by the association members," Lee said. "But more than anything, the greatest damage is the emotional toll the delays have taken on residents — that is beyond words."

He said association members have filed a damages lawsuit against the church, with a first-instance trial now under way.

Asked what problems would arise once the redevelopment is completed and residents move in, Lee said the church's presence had thrown the original layout into disarray. "The church was supposed to be in a designated location, but that has been completely upended," he said. "Residents will face inconveniences related to infrastructure — particularly pedestrian and vehicle circulation within the complex — and there will be no shortage of complaints after the project is completed."

On whether forced eviction was simply impossible, Lee said courts had attempted enforcement six times, but each time hundreds of church members came out to resist. "There were also many hazardous elements on site, including gas canisters, so the authorities were quite cautious," he said.

Asked what the president said during his visit to the Jangwi-dong redevelopment site on Nov. 4, Lee said the president first instructed officials to identify what was standing in the way of the project's progress. "He delivered a strong message: that evil must not be allowed to prevail over good; that forcible resistance in a nation governed by the rule of law will be dismantled decisively; and that the government will take responsibility through public-led development and provide generous incentives," Lee said.

During that visit, President Lee had received a briefing on how Sarang Jeil Church came to be excluded from the redevelopment zone before declaring, "In a country governed by the rule of law, how can anyone simply dig in through force?" and ordering a firm response.