Around 11 p.m. on Oct. 27, a container that is normally used as a prefabricated office with a sign “exercising ownership” attached appeared at the main gate of Ewha Womans University.
Although the school immediately called the police, the police could not take any action against the ownership exertion of the occupier of the container.
The container has been keeping its place since while school and the occupier continue the dispute.
The issue of ownership at Ewha main gate that the occupier claims dates back to 2005. Before then, the land around the school is was owned by Daehyun-dong redevelopment union. Ewha bought nine pilji, a unit measure for land ownership, of land from the union to build the main gate and expanded the campus.
However, because the union was engaged in complex debt relationships with its property of corporation under provisional seizure, three pilji of land that Ewha purchased was repossessed.
Thus, three pilji of land which amounts to 323 square meter was forcefully put on auction and the occupier won the bid for 600 million won in 2006.
When Ewha newly registered the house number of the campus site including the area of current dispute as “144-2,” the occupier filed a lawsuit against the school, asking his ownership to be clearly stated in the registration.
Winning the case, the occupier was registered as a joint owner of the site around the main gate last March.
Thus, the occupier claims that he is also a legal owner of the land and that he is only exerting a lawful right. If Ewha is to exercise complete ownership of the main gate area, he argues that the school has to buy the site from him at the price he offers.
Otherwise, he claims to split the area in half, once again filing a suit for a division of common assets. The occupier maintains that he has no intention of withdrawing the container unless the conflict is solved.
On the other hand, Ewha explains that the occupier’s claim lacks legitimacy since Ewha has already secured a complete ownership. It argues that the occupier’s action is an act of deforcement and that he should be charged with trespassing. School also filed a suit asking for the ownership obliteration.
“The school has been trying to solve the dispute moderately,” said Cho Mi-sook, the head of Office of General Administration. “The occupier’s requests, however, either asking to be purchase the land at a large sum of money or to divide it, are too exorbitant to accept, leaving no choice but to take legal action.”
Students are expressing their concern and discomfort at the emergence of the container as well. Many students feel invaded or even threatened by the concrete evidence of conflict.
“When the container suddenly appeared, it worried me because I thought it could be dangerous and ruin the appearance of the entrance,” said Nam Seok-jin (English, 3).
“I hope the dispute gets solved quickly for the sake of student welfare.”
저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지