The issue arose way back on Dec. 31 of 1992, when a contract was made between the school and the Committee to settle the residents claim to their 120 pyong of land near the front gate. The school paid 2.8 million won as a deposit, and was granted the immediate usage of the area, promising to pay an additional sum for complete ownership of the land when the current front gate renovation project was approved.
However, the full sum was never paid, and now the contract remains unfulfilled with both sides arguing over who is responsible for the delay and necessary adjustments. Professor Yang Hye-soon (English Education), Dean of the Office of General Administration, says the delays were due to internal troubles in the Committee. Yoo Suk-chung, the head of the Committee demanded that the school pay off the remaining part of the contract at current land prices, which is around six billion won, about 20 times the initial price.
The issue has ended up in a law suit, and neither the committee, which pledges to go on until the end to protect their property to guarantee their right to survival, nor the school, which wishes to firmly solve the issue by justice since conversation cannot resolve the issue, seem to show any sign of stepping back.
jelle@ewhain.net