Political Clash Over Gwanggyo Government Complex Sale Plan Erupts at Kimchi-Making Event in Suwon

Controversy surrounding Gyeonggi Province's consideration of selling the Gwanggyo Government Complex has evolved into political sparring between ruling and opposition parties, with the conflict extending to a kimchi-making event attended by local residents.

According to Gyeonggi Province and Suwon City on the 11th, the Gwanggyo Government Complex sale controversy intensified on the 9th when the province announced that the land and building of the Gwanggyo Government Complex were included in public property sales being reviewed to overcome fiscal crisis.

At the time, Gyeonggi Province spokesperson Hong Eun-gwang explained through a written briefing: "The decision on whether to sell the Gwanggyo Government Complex will be made after comprehensively reviewing legal and administrative procedures, plans for administrative office space, consultation and approval from the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, and other factors."

However, the Gwanggyo Government Complex is a building moved to by Gyeonggi Province less than five years ago in May 2022. As a core facility of the Gyeonggi Convergence Town, which houses the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, local residents have continued to express opposition, given that the building is currently being used for administrative purposes.

Article 19 of the current "Public Property and Goods Management Act" fundamentally prohibits the sale of administrative property. To sell administrative property, legal requirements such as discontinuation of use must be met, but the Ministry of Government Legislation ruled in a 2013 legal interpretation that property currently being used for administrative purposes cannot be prematurely discontinued from use based solely on future relocation plans.

In the process, political conflict among lawmakers extended to the kimchi-making event attended by residents.

According to multiple event attendees, Lee O-su, a Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member from the People Power Party, explained the problems with the Gwanggyo Government Complex sale review to residents at a kimchi-making event held in Gwanggyo 1-dong. Subsequently, Kim Jun-hyuk, a National Assembly member from the Democratic Party of Korea who attended the same venue, explained that the Gwanggyo Government Complex sale plan was not factual.

One attendee said, "When residents heard Assemblywoman Lee O-su's explanation, they worried about selling the Gwanggyo Government Complex, and when they heard Congressman Kim Jun-hyuk's explanation, they were relieved that the complex would not be sold. It was a situation where completely opposite political opinions coexisted with a time gap in a place where residents were making kimchi together."

Congressman Kim Jun-hyuk shared his position on the Gwanggyo Government Complex sale plan through his SNS the same day.

Rep. Kim said, "The rumor about selling the Gyeonggi Provincial Government's Gwanggyo Government Complex is not true at all; the idea came up at the level of some individuals' idea but is not realistic at all. I directly confirmed this with Gyeonggi Province. I express deep regret that political attacks and speculation continue over an issue that cannot be relocated and for which there are no such plans," he said.

In contrast, Assemblywoman Lee O-su takes the position that since Gyeonggi Province has officially acknowledged the sale review, the sale plan itself should be problematized.

At a press conference, the assemblywoman said, "Planning to sell the government complex less than five years after moving in, which was built with 470 billion won in taxpayers' money, is an irresponsible act that undermines the continuity and predictability of administration. I urge a complete withdrawal of the Gwanggyo Government Complex sale review."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has reportedly effectively abandoned the review of the Gwanggyo Government Complex sale plan, judging that the feasibility and fiscal effectiveness of the sale plan are extremely low. This decision came just two days after the sale review was made public.