A road that area residents and visitors have used for 70 years is in danger of disappearing. As land prices are increasing in Jeju, landowners are exerting their rights. These types of disputes show no signs of abating. Mike Laidman reports.

[slug]
Iho-dong, Jeju City

This is a decades-old road which links (이호) Iho Beach with the nearby town.

Over the years it has become increasingly busier, with more and more tourists visiting the beach.

But now, the old road is on the brink of disappearing.

[slug]
Landowner to construct building on road

In the 1970s, the road was incorporated into public land, but wth neither compensation nor proper documentation on the record, the landowner is planning to construct a building on it.

A line marks the property boundary, and the owner has asked Jeju City to tear up the offending pavement.

[slug]
Landowner wins lawsuit

In a lawsuit over ownership against Jeju City, the landowner came out on top, and so now has the right to demolish the road.

Meanwhile, area residents are opposing construction.

[slug]
Area residents oppose construction

If the road is closed due to construction, traffic would build up on other roads and sales at stores the road services would plummet.

More than 30 residents in the area have filed a petition to Jeju City asking that the government not allow the construction to go ahead.

INTERVIEW
Cha Su-min / Local business owner
I put everything into my business. Things won’t look good if the road is blocked. I might just give it all up and go back to the mainland.
<인터뷰 : 차수민 / 인근 상인>
"전 재산을 가지고 (숙박업을) 시작했는데. 저 길이 막힌다고 하면 앞으로 미래가 없을 것 같아서 다 버리고 육지로 돌아가고 싶어요."

INTERVIEW
Gang Taek-geun / Community leader, Iho 1-dong
We have used the road for more than 70 years. If it disappears, we don’t have any alternative routes for residents and visitors.
<인터뷰 : 강택근 / 이호1동 3통장>
"그 도로를 70여년 동안 사용했는데, 이걸 막아버리면 원주민들이나 관광객들이 차로 통행할 수 있는 길이 전혀 없습니다."

[slug]
91,000 uncompensated lots of land in Jeju

In addition to some local roads, there are 91,000 other lots of private land that have gone uncompensated or for which there only exists incomplete documentation.

The compensation amounts to 1.2 trillion won.

And with the province losing ownership lawsuits one after the other, the compensation is growing.

Recording
Jeju City representative
If a lot is legally recognized as private property, roads on the land cannot be acknowledged as public. We are at a disadvantage. We have to consult with the landowners.
<싱크 : 제주시 관계자>
"개인 사유지이기 때문에 소송에서는 (도로라는 것을) 인정을 안해주죠. 행정이 불리합니다. 토지주와 보상 협의를 해봐야죠."

[Reporter] Mike Laidman
[Camera[ Kim Yong-min

Jeju’s land prices have long been on the rise, and now, more and more landowners are taking advantage of the situation, with disputes rising almost as quickly as prices.

Mike Laidman, KCTV