Shin Gye-yong, the mayor of Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province, has garnered attention for his administration's focus on prioritizing citizen safety and public interest, culminating in a successful appeal against the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
On August 12, Mayor Shin announced that he won the appeal in a lawsuit filed by the Shincheonji Church regarding the cancellation of a request to change the building register for a facility in Byeolyang-dong.
The court ruled that Gwacheon's decision to reject the application to modify the building register for the Emart building was lawful.
This ruling is significant as it recognizes Gwacheon's approach of considering the overall public interest, including citizen safety, traffic, education environment, and living conditions, as a core criterion in administrative decisions, extending beyond mere building use issues.
In 2023, Shincheonji applied to change the use of the ninth-floor cultural and assembly facility at the Byeolyang-dong Emart to a religious facility.
Mayor Shin conducted a comprehensive review of the potential impacts on traffic congestion, evacuation and safety issues, and the living and educational environment for nearby residents and students before rejecting the application.
In response, Shincheonji filed an administrative lawsuit against Gwacheon in 2024, winning in the first instance.
The court at that time determined that the evidence submitted by Gwacheon was insufficient to demonstrate a concrete negative impact on public interest, including citizen safety and property.
However, Mayor Shin promptly appealed the first ruling, strengthening his response.
In addition to retaining the previous legal representation, he appointed the law firm Logos, which has experience winning similar cases involving Shincheonji, and initiated expert services to objectively prove traffic impacts and resident safety issues.
During the appeal process, Gwacheon focused on providing objective data to substantiate concerns about potential traffic congestion and safety, moving beyond mere claims of public apprehension.
In March 2026, during the appeal hearings, Gwacheon presented evidence such as on-site assessments and traffic impact evaluations to actively demonstrate concerns about public interest violations.
The strong community opposition regarding the change of use for the Shincheonji religious facility also played a role in the appeal's outcome.
Residents of Gwacheon have been actively opposing the change through petitions and rallies. In July of last year, a petition with 20,000 signatures was submitted, and a rally in Gwacheon Central Park drew over 1,000 participants, including citizens, Mayor Shin, and local political figures, demanding protection of citizen safety and living conditions.
In July of this year, the Gwacheon Citizens' Alliance, along with civic groups, political representatives, and parent and resident representatives, held a joint press conference emphasizing the need to respect religious freedom while also considering students' educational rights, citizen safety, and public welfare.
The community's core demand has not been to exclude a specific religion but to ensure that the administration adequately addresses potential traffic and safety issues that could arise from a facility attracting large crowds in the heart of Gwacheon.
This appeal ruling is expected to mark a significant turning point in Mayor Shin's administrative and legal response to the community's concerns.
Mayor Shin views this ruling as a validation of his administration's commitment to protecting citizen safety and living environments.
He stated, "I am grateful that the court recognized the legitimacy of Gwacheon's decision to protect citizen safety and living environments through this appeal ruling."
He added, "Moving forward, we will continue to prioritize citizen safety and public interest and diligently pursue administrative and legal measures to protect them."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.