Gyeongnam Province Will Not Appeal Robot Land Case... 166.2 Billion KRW Deposit Completed

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] “Considering the practical benefits of appeal and the prompt normalization of the Robot Land project, we will forgo the appeal.”

On the 16th, Gyeongsangnam-do decided to fully accept the appellate court ruling that recognized the termination of the agreement and the payment upon termination in the lawsuit filed by Robot Land Co., Ltd. claiming payment upon termination.

The Changwon 2nd Civil Division of the Busan High Court on the 12th ruled in favor of the private business operator, consistent with the first trial judgment by the Changwon District Court 5th Civil Division, in the lawsuit filed by Robot Land Co., Ltd. against Gyeongsangnam-do, Changwon City, and the Robot Land Foundation claiming payment upon termination.

Gyeongnam Masan Robot Land.
[Photo by Changwon Special City Hall]

According to the province, Robot Land Co., Ltd. previously notified the administration of the termination of the implementation agreement, stating, “We must repay a loan of 5 billion KRW by selling the pension site, but the foundation did not transfer the site, causing a default,” and filed a lawsuit claiming payment upon termination in February 2020.

The first trial court ruled in October 2021 that Gyeongsangnam-do must pay 112.6 billion KRW, including operating expenses and payment upon termination, to the private business operator.

The payment upon termination refers to the 100 billion KRW cost invested by the private business operator in developing the first phase private project, Robot Land Theme Park, which was donated to the Robot Land Foundation after completion.

Ha Jongmok, Director of Planning and Coordination, said, “After the appellate court ruling, we listened to the opinions of the litigation representatives, legal advisors, and related institutions, and after going through the Litigation Review Committee and the Provincial Administration Coordination Committee, we comprehensively reviewed the possibility of winning and the burden of interest costs, concluding that there is almost no practical benefit to appeal.”

He added, “We judged that continuing the lawsuit would hinder the prompt normalization of the Robot Land project,” and “On the 13th, we completed the deposit of a total of 166.2 billion KRW, including private business investment and operating expenses, to the Changwon District Court in accordance with the appellate court ruling.”

Ryu Myeonghyeon, Director of the Industry and Trade Bureau, said, “We will do our best to promptly normalize the Gyeongnam Masan Robot Land project and revitalize the robot industry in Gyeongsangnam-do.”