Goyang City Refutes 'Ilsan Complex Community' Controversy: "Delay Caused by LH Design Error"

Goyang City Directly Refutes Former Mayor Lee Jaejun's Accusations Over Ilsan Complex Community Project Delay
"Allegations of Audit Result Concealment Are Groundless"
Audit Results Notified in November 2025
Legal Procedures, Including Litigation with LH, to Determine Responsibility

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province has issued an official statement, directly refuting the controversy surrounding the "Ilsan Complex Community Development Project" that recently surfaced following a complaint filed by former Goyang Mayor Lee Jaejun.

Exterior view of Goyang Special City Hall. Provided by Goyang Special City.

On January 15, the city explained through a press release that the allegations reported by some media outlets regarding responsibility for project delays and the concealment of audit results are not true.

First, the city pointed out that the main responsibility for the project delays and the resulting sunk costs lies with the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), which is in charge of construction work. According to the city, construction was halted because LH made an error during the design process for the railway soundproof wall foundation, designing it in a form that did not match the actual terrain (mistaking an L-shaped retaining wall for an inverted T-shape).

A Goyang city official stated, "Even during the negotiations to resume the project, technical disagreements persisted, which delayed reaching an agreement," adding, "Responsibility for this matter will be objectively and clearly determined through future legal procedures, such as litigation with LH."

The city also strongly denied claims that it concealed the Board of Audit and Inspection's results for a year and six months, specifying the dates involved. The city emphasized, "Although the audit officially ended in May 2024, the city actually received the audit results on November 25, 2025," stressing that it is impossible for the city to have hidden results it did not yet know.

Regarding suspicions that public officials distributed false press releases, the city acknowledged that it had requested LH to change the use of commercial facilities at the time. However, it explained that this was a legitimate reconsideration process in line with the city's policy direction to improve fiscal independence and expand self-sufficient facilities.

The city stated that the request was made to review whether a more comprehensive urban regeneration, including social infrastructure, would be more appropriate than simply building public rental housing, and argued that it is inappropriate to label this as "spreading false information."

Goyang Special City expressed its commitment to steadily pursue the Ilsan Complex Community Project regardless of the current controversy. A city official said, "This project is a key initiative for revitalizing the original downtown area of Ilsan," adding, "Even if some aspects of the plan are revised, we will ensure that the final outcome delivers tangible benefits to citizens."

Previously, on October 22, during the 298th temporary session of the Goyang City Council, the city issued a rebuttal press release in response to a five-minute free speech by Goyang City Council member Kim Haeryeon, stating that there had been no request to change the use of commercial facilities in the public rental housing project and that the claims were a misunderstanding.