Unauthorized Occupation for 7 Months with Refusal to Voluntarily Evacuate... Administrative Enforcement Mobilizes Police Force
Due to Typhoon Maysak, the 9th typhoon of the year, heavy rain and wind damaged the memorial altar for the late General Baek Seon-yeop at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 3rd of this month. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 29th that it has carried out an administrative enforcement action against the illegal tents of the 'Late General Baek Seon-yeop Memorial Altar,' which had been occupying Gwanghwamun Square without permission since July.
The illegal tents, installed by the Funeral Memorial Committee during the five-day funeral of the late General Baek Seon-yeop on July 16, had continuously occupied the square illegally by changing their stated purpose to events such as the 49th-day memorial and 100-day memorial. A total of four tents were installed, and recently two of them had their banners replaced to operate as the 'Citizen Memorial for the Truth Investigation of the Unarmed Civilian Shooting and Cremation Incident.'
Seoul City explained that despite taking several legal and administrative measures over the past 70 days, including eight administrative enforcement warnings and repeated requests for voluntary removal, the organizers had long illegally occupied Gwanghwamun Square. Additionally, citizen complaints about mask non-wearing, failure to observe social distancing within the memorial tents, and noise from worship services had continued, leading to the decision to carry out administrative enforcement.
The administrative enforcement conducted that day involved a total of 480 personnel, including 30 Seoul city employees, 400 police officers from Jongno Police Station, 10 employees from Jongno Fire Station, and 40 workers from a contracted service company. Although gatherings, meetings, and events are restricted under the current Level 2 social distancing measures, exceptions are made for official duties such as administrative enforcement, considering legal obligations and urgency.
The city imposed a compensation fee of approximately 22 million KRW on the Funeral Memorial Committee for the illegal occupation and will later charge costs incurred from the administrative enforcement. The tents and other collected items will be stored in a city-designated storage warehouse until the committee requests their return.
Ryu Hoon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Regeneration Office, stated, "We have strictly dealt with unauthorized use and occupation of Gwanghwamun Square according to law and principles so that all citizens can freely use the square." He added, "We will strive to manage and operate the square so that it can be used for its original purpose of supporting citizens’ healthy leisure and cultural activities."
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