In October 2017, Ha Min-cheol, Chairman of the Environment and City Committee of the Jeju Provincial Council, is making inquiries related to the development project of Odeungbong Park. Photo by JIBS screen capture
[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] With the nomination of former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, reports related to the Odeungbong Park development project, the largest development project in Jeju Province's history, have been increasing, drawing attention to the parliamentary proceedings led by Ha Min-cheol, a candidate for the People Power Party and member of the Jeju Provincial Council's Urban Environment Committee (Yeondong-eul), who served as the committee chair at the time.
One of the controversies surrounding Minister-nominee Won’s project is the Jeju City Odeungbong Park construction project, which involves building 1,400 apartment units on part of the park land and creating a park on the remaining area, with a project cost of 816.2 billion KRW, making it the largest development project in Jeju Province's history.
The core of the controversy lies in the fact that Mr. A, the director of Jeju Province’s Urban Construction Bureau who oversaw the development project at the time, joined the Urban Planning Deliberation Committee after retirement and later was employed as a technical advisor for a company participating in the Odeungbong Park project consortium.
In this regard, in 2017, the Jeju Provincial Council’s Urban Environment Committee summoned Mr. A to question him about the overall progress of the project, especially inquiring about measures related to the implementation of the Urban Park Sunset Policy.
At that time, Ha Min-cheol, the Urban Environment Committee chair, investigated the facts regarding whether the project would proceed as a private special project or involve public participation, and strongly urged the then Urban Construction Bureau director with the request, “Please proceed with this project while promoting public discussion within the Jeju community,” a video of which has been re-broadcast, bringing renewed attention to Ha Min-cheol’s legislative activities during his tenure as a council member.
Additionally, as the Jeju Province formed a private special project TF team with Mr. A as the team leader, the inquiry video has been circulated, leading to evaluations that Ha Min-cheol faithfully fulfilled his duties as Urban Environment Committee chair and played a role in preventing reckless development of the Odeungbong Park project in advance.
Meanwhile, Minister-nominee Won stated through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s spokesperson office on the 22nd regarding the controversy over the Odeungbong development project, “We followed lawful procedures and did not interfere at all in the project operator screening process,” and “We complied with legal guidelines.”
Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won captain@asiae.co.kr
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