Pocheon City Implements 'Administrative Enforcement of Illegal Structures'

Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Jong-cheon) carried out administrative enforcement on September 1st regarding a barrier pole, excluding the main facility, among illegal temporary structures set up to restrict access at the entrance of Wangbang Village in Shinbuk-myeon. The landowner had installed these structures claiming the land as his own property to obstruct passage.

The landowner had exploited the fact that it takes several months for administrative authorities to take action against illegal structures by installing unauthorized access control facilities. However, the city applied special provisions under the Building Act, which allow for the demolition of structures significantly obstructing road traffic without administrative procedures, enabling swift removal of the access restriction barriers that directly impeded resident passage and resolved residents' travel inconvenience.

Despite challenging work conditions due to insufficient personnel and lack of budgeted resources for illegal structure monitoring and enforcement, the city's architectural department staff directly conducted the demolition in an effort to actively serve residents.

Regarding the remaining illegal structures that do not directly obstruct passage and therefore cannot be subject to special provisions, the city plans to proceed with appropriate administrative procedures such as compliance orders. If the structures are not voluntarily removed, the responsible party will be referred to judicial authorities; however, there are difficulties as administrative procedures typically require several months.