Despite a Population of 1.04 Million, No Judicial Institutions... Hwaseong City Says "A City Court Must Be Established"

Revealed in the "Hwaseong Issue Report" by the Hwaseong City Research Institute

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province has raised the need to establish a local court in response to its rapidly increasing population.

On April 30, Hwaseong City expressed its opinion on the necessity of establishing a city court to address the growing demand for judicial services due to population growth, through the "Hwaseong Issue Report" published by the Hwaseong City Research Institute.

The report defines judicial services as essential public goods for citizens and diagnoses the reality that Hwaseong City currently lacks any judicial service hubs. In addition, it presents the expected benefits of establishing a city court, as well as mid- to long-term tasks for implementation.

According to the report, Hwaseong City has surpassed a population of 1.04 million and is now one of the nation's five largest special cities. However, it still lacks basic judicial institutions such as a court, a registry office, and a legal aid corporation.

As a result, Hwaseong residents must visit the Osan City Court for small claims and deposit cases, and the Suwon District Court for first-instance civil, criminal, administrative, and family trials. For registry services, they must also use the Suwon District Court Registry Office. For free legal consultations, residents are required to visit the Suwon branch of the Korea Legal Aid Corporation.

Previously, in a survey conducted in 2023 among the "Hwaseong City Online Policy Plaza Advisory Group," about 94% of respondents supported the establishment of a city court. In the same year, approximately 50,000 citizens participated in a petition calling for the establishment of a registry office in Hwaseong City.

Jung Myunggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong, stated, "Hwaseong City now needs not only quantitative growth but also an expansion of quality public services," and added, "We will steadfastly pursue the attraction of judicial institutions that are directly linked to the quality of life for our citizens."