Gyeonggi Province, Courts, and Ministry of Justice Agree to Establish External Seoul High Court Branch and Expedite Uijeongbu Legal Town Development

Gyeonggi Province, Ministry of Justice, Court Administration, and Uijeongbu City Join Forces
Judicial Welfare Service Improvement Agreement Ceremony Held in Northern Gyeonggi
Seoul High Court External Branch and Legal Town Development Advanced by Four Years

Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Justice, the Court Administration, and Uijeongbu City have agreed to join forces to establish an external branch of the Seoul High Court-a long-awaited project for Northern Gyeonggi-and to expedite the development of the Uijeongbu Legal Town.

Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Justice, the Court Administration, and Uijeongbu City signed the "Gyeonggi Northern Judicial Welfare Service Improvement Agreement" on the 18th to establish an out-of-town branch of the Seoul High Court, a long-awaited project in northern Gyeonggi, and to expedite the development of the Uijeongbu Legal Town, and are taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

Kim Dae-soon, Second Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province; Hwang Byung-heon, Chief Judge of Uijeongbu District Court; Lee Man-heum, Chief Prosecutor of Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office; and Kim Dong-geun, Mayor of Uijeongbu City, signed the "Judicial Welfare Service Improvement Agreement for Northern Gyeonggi" at the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office on November 18.

The signing ceremony was attended by key figures, including Assemblywoman Park Ji-hye and Assemblyman Lee Jae-gang, who pledged their cooperation and support for enhancing judicial welfare services in Northern Gyeonggi.

The agreement aims to improve the quality of life for residents by enhancing judicial accessibility and improving the legal environment in Northern Gyeonggi.

Although the population of Northern Gyeonggi has surpassed 3.6 million, the region still falls under the jurisdiction of the Seoul High Court’s main office, forcing residents to travel more than an hour to Seocho, Seoul, for appellate trials and causing both geographical and economic inconvenience.

Kim Dae-soon, Second Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Today marks a historic day where the legislative, judicial, and administrative branches are coming together," and added, "Through this agreement, Gyeonggi Province will take full responsibility and provide active support to bridge the judicial welfare gap in Northern Gyeonggi and promote regional development."

Chief Judge Hwang Byung-heon of Uijeongbu District Court and Chief Prosecutor Lee Man-heum of Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office expressed their commitment, saying, "We will actively cooperate to ensure the smooth establishment of the external branch of the Seoul High Court and the expedited development of the Uijeongbu Legal Town, so that judicial services appropriate for the northern region can be realized."

Assemblywoman Park Ji-hye stated, "I hope that the Uijeongbu Legal Town will also include bankruptcy and family courts, providing comprehensive judicial services to residents of Northern Gyeonggi. I promise active support at the National Assembly level."

Assemblyman Lee Jae-gang said, "I hope that the development of the Uijeongbu Legal Town will enhance the quality of life for the 3.6 million residents of Northern Gyeonggi and revitalize the local economy."

Kim Dong-geun, Mayor of Uijeongbu City, said, "With the establishment of the external branch of the Seoul High Court and the Legal Town being advanced by four years, we will make every administrative effort to ensure that it becomes a core pillar of Uijeongbu’s development."

Gyeonggi Province and related agencies are currently working together to establish the external branch court within the Legal Town being developed in the Gosan-dong area of Uijeongbu and are conducting related consultations.

With this agreement, Gyeonggi Province plans to closely cooperate with all agencies to advance the site development schedule from 2030 to 2026 by four years, complete the Legal Town as quickly as possible, and achieve balanced development and expanded judicial welfare in Northern Gyeonggi.