Victory in Smart Farm Construction Law Violation Case
Korea Wheel: "We Will Relocate Regardless of Lawsuit Outcome"
Korea Wheel has partially won an administrative lawsuit against the demolition order for illegal buildings issued by Boryeong City, Chungnam Province, regarding the construction of its smart farm.
According to Asia Economy's coverage on the 20th, Korea Wheel announced that it had won the administrative lawsuit heard by the First Administrative Division of the Daejeon District Court (Judge Kim Yangkyu) regarding the order issued by Boryeong City for violations of the Building Act related to the construction of the smart farm.
Korea Wheel stated, "Regardless of the outcome of this administrative lawsuit, the company relocation will proceed as planned," raising concerns that this could deal a significant blow to the local economy of Boryeong City, which has been classified as a depopulation area.
If Korea Wheel follows through on its declared relocation, Boryeong City is likely to face criticism for driving out a leading local company that created hundreds of jobs and paid billions of won in taxes.
Korea Wheel's smart farm is a cultivation system directly developed by Chairman Choi Hoon, who started gardening as a hobby and sought ways to make farming easier for farmers. The system has been recognized for its technological prowess, having acquired nine patents, one new technology certification, and five overseas patents including those in the United States.
Notably, in 2019, the mayor of Boryeong and city officials reportedly visited the facility to evaluate and encourage the excellence of the smart farm.
However, after receiving complaints about building violations, Boryeong City deemed the smart farm facility an illegal structure and issued a demolition order. Although Korea Wheel requested legalization of the smart farm facility, the city ignored the request, prompting Korea Wheel to file an administrative lawsuit.
Last year, Korea Wheel recorded sales of 118.2 billion won and a net profit of 8.5 billion won. Since 2009, the company has paid billions of won in taxes to Boryeong City and currently employs over 300 people, making it a leading local company.
In a phone call, Chairman Choi Hoon of Korea Wheel said, "We have won the administrative lawsuit against Boryeong City's demolition order for illegal buildings," adding, "I no longer wish to operate the company in Boryeong. The relocation will proceed as planned."
A city official stated, "We lost the case regarding the violation of the Building Act, but we won regarding the violation of the Industrial Sites Act," adding, "We will know the details once we receive the written judgment."
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