"Violation of Students' Right to Study and Ecological Environment"
2023 Permit Sparks Resident Opposition
On July 8, the Daegu Dalseo District Council urged that the building permit for an outdoor golf driving range near Dowon High School be reconsidered from the beginning, stating, "Any building permit that does not reflect the opinions of residents must be reviewed from scratch."
In an official statement released that day, the Daegu Dalseo District Council said, "Ongoing protests from residents demanding the cancellation of the building permit and the complete loss of public trust are due to the Dalseo District Office issuing the permit without informing residents." The council further criticized, "It is regrettable that the Dalseo District Office maintains a passive attitude, simply insisting that 'everything was done according to the law.'"
The council explained, "In December 2023, the Dalseo District Office approved the construction of a 10,000-square-meter outdoor golf driving range just 20 meters from Dowon High School without the knowledge of local residents." The council continued, "Although the district office claims that the permit was possible under urban planning regulations and that the procedures were legitimate, the permit cannot be justified since it was granted without notification, despite concerns about students' right to study, residents' quality of life, and potential damage to the local ecosystem."
The council also added, "Dowonji has been a key site for the urban ecological axis restoration project in Dalseo District since 2021, so granting a building permit that could damage the habitat environment is an inconsistent administrative action."
The council went on to criticize, "Because the district office issued the building permit without informing residents, the current situation has arisen in which residents, concerned about students' right to study, living conditions, and ecological damage, have had to physically block the project themselves." The council called for a review of the building permit that did not reflect residents' opinions, consultations and a public hearing in accordance with requests from the Office of Education, an official apology for ignoring residents, and advance administrative notice to ensure transparent procedures.
Seo Minwoo, chairperson of the Daegu Dalseo District Council, stated, "As a council that values the voices of residents, we will continue to do our utmost to fulfill our responsibilities," and added, "We will actively work to establish resident participation and transparent administrative procedures in Dalseo District, taking this incident as an opportunity."
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