The provincial council recently cleared the way for Berjaya Jeju to resume construction on the (예래) Yerae Resort Complex, and the
Jeju Free International City Development Center has announced its intentions to encourage the developer to do just that. Berjaya Jeju,however, is pressing forward with lawsuits against landowners, the JDC, and the government. Mike Laidman reports.
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Yerae Resort Complex construction site

This is the Yerae Resort Complex construction site, where construction has been suspended since July of last year. The first phase of the project, only 65 percent complete, is building condominiums and commercial areas.

The entrance of the construction site is closed and unfinished buildings sit, empty and forlorn.

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New ordinance clears way for work to resume

The Urban Planning Ordinance has rules on commercial recreation areas.
It officially allows a commercial resort to have guest houses, but these accommodations can only cover up to 30 percent of a recreational area and require at least 30 percent of a given site to be ‘green.’


According to the Jeju Free International City Development Center, the project developer, Berjaya Jeju, will decide whether to press forward with suits or resume construction.

The JDC adds that the article that limits the area for guest houses could be a sticking point in negotiations with the developer, but that it will still encourage the Berjaya Jeju Resort to resume construction when the new ordinance takes effect.


The JDC hopes that the project will get back on track, but the Berjaya Jeju Resort hasn’t yet made its position clear.


The Malaysian conglomerate says that it is exerting itself to win the ongoing legal battles and set aside the ordinance. This means it is currently not in a position to decide whether or not to resume construction.


Among the legal battles are suits that would seek 350 billion won in damages from the JDC, other suits that landowners could file, and an administrative litigation on project approval.

Berjaya Jeju is demanding that the JDC pay 250 billion won for the construction work done so far, plus additional management and compensation fees incurred since the project was suspended last year.

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

The JDC is hoping the Malaysian conglomerate will resume construction, but in the meantime Berjaya Jeju is focused on its legal battles.
Getting everything sorted and under control swiftly will undoubtedly be difficult.

Mike Laidman, KCTV