The Seoul Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which has been entrusted with operating the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center in Seoul for over 20 years, voluntarily vacated the premises during a court-enforced mediation process.
According to Seoul city on the 21st, the Seoul Western District Court referred the eviction lawsuit filed by Seoul city against the KCTU Seoul Headquarters to mediation, and made a court-enforced mediation decision (a decision substituting for mediation) directing the KCTU Seoul Headquarters to voluntarily vacate. This decision was finalized on the 6th of this month.
Previously, after the KCTU Seoul Headquarters continued to occupy the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center in Mapo-gu without authorization despite the end of the entrusted contract, Seoul city filed an eviction lawsuit with the court on November 30 last year. The court proposed that the KCTU Seoul Headquarters and Seoul city reach an agreement for the KCTU to voluntarily vacate by the 31st of last month, and the court-enforced mediation decision was finalized as the KCTU Seoul Headquarters fully vacated before the deadline on the 21st of last month.
Court-enforced mediation is a procedure in civil litigation where the court resolves disputes by setting reconciliation terms between both parties without issuing a judgment. If either party rejects the mediation proposal, the mediation fails.
The Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center has been used free of charge by the KCTU Seoul Headquarters under Seoul city's entrustment since 2002. However, contrary to its founding purpose, as concerns arose that the welfare center was being used as an exclusive office and support facility for a specific labor union group, Seoul city established grounds to impose usage and management fees on the welfare center.
Accordingly, Seoul city requested the KCTU Seoul Headquarters to vacate by September 25 last year, when their entrusted contract ended. A Seoul city official stated, "We are discussing with the entrusted institution how to operate (the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center) while considering worker counseling and programs that citizens can use."
Meanwhile, Seoul city is also conducting an eviction lawsuit against the Seoul Regional Headquarters of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), which has been entrusted with operating the Seoul Workers' Welfare Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu for about 31 years since 1992.
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