More than 7,000 cases of unauthorized use have been detected on highway idle land managed by the Korea Expressway Corporation over the past five years. Concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of managing these idle lands, especially as some areas have been occupied without permission for over a decade.
According to data submitted by lawmaker Kim Jong-yang to the Korea Expressway Corporation for a national audit on October 5, as of August this year, the total area of idle land managed by the corporation is 27,520 parcels, covering 1,689,000 square meters (approximately 512 acres). This is about 5.8 times the size of Yeouido.
From 2021 to August of this year, a total of 7,184 cases of unauthorized use were recorded. The total area of unauthorized use amounts to 134,400 square meters, equivalent to about 188 soccer fields.
The number of cases detected annually has increased from 747 in 2021 to 2,483 in 2024. Although the number dropped to 1,285 in 2025, 1,250 cases were reported by August of this year.
There are also instances of long-term unauthorized use. A total of 36 locations across the country have been occupied without permission for over five years. These areas have been difficult to identify the occupants, making it impossible to issue prior notifications for compensation. Among these, there is a parcel that has been occupied without permission since February 2016, lasting over ten years.
Regionally, the Busan and Gyeongnam headquarters reported the highest number of cases at 21, followed by the Jeonbuk headquarters with 10, the Seoul and Gyeonggi headquarters with 4, and the metropolitan headquarters with 1. The largest area of unauthorized use was reported by the Jeonbuk headquarters at 4,479 square meters, followed by Busan and Gyeongnam headquarters at 3,625 square meters, Seoul and Gyeonggi headquarters at 762 square meters, and the metropolitan headquarters at 543 square meters.
The Korea Expressway Corporation is also working to improve its management of idle land. Since May of this year, it has expanded the use of a mobile field inspection app to digitize inspection records across all agencies, allowing for better management of field inspections and follow-up actions.
Additionally, the corporation plans to enhance the utilization of idle land by linking it with local governments for facilities or truck parking lots, and by promoting private leasing and sales.
Lawmaker Kim Jong-yang stated, "It is necessary to check whether proper management has been conducted while the idle land, which belongs to the public, has been left unattended like ownerless land. Effective recovery and utilization measures for unauthorized use must be established."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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