A dispute has emerged over the purchase contract for Jukdo Island, acquired by Gijang-gun in Busan. The lack of a record confirming the owner's intent to sell, along with multiple procedural flaws, has prompted the county to request an audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection and to file a missing person report for the original owner.
On September 7, Gijang-gun Mayor Woo Seong-bin held a press conference to disclose issues related to the purchase contract with Sinangchon. Although payment for the purchase has already been made and future national funding is planned, serious defects were identified from the very beginning of the contract process.
According to an internal investigation by the Gijang-gun Task Force on Corruption and Waste, the letter of intent to sell submitted to the county on March 2, 2023, was not from Park, the second leader of Sinangchon and the actual owner of Jukdo, but from a third party, the CEO of Sinangchon Food Co., Ltd. Furthermore, there is no record of the responsible officials directly confirming the owner's intent to sell through in-person meetings or phone or video calls, and the contract was conducted with individuals claiming to be representatives.
Numerous flaws were also found in the contract-related documents. The seller's power of attorney was missing the owner's identification, and the power of attorney for the seal certificate issued by the representative was not written by the owner. Notably, instead of the required 'seal certificate for sale,' a 'general seal certificate' was submitted, and the representative's signature was absent from the contract, which is essential for finalizing the agreement.
Three law firms consulted by Gijang-gun (Shinseong, International, and Seongan) advised that the owner's intent to sell should be confirmed in person or through any means, but this was not followed. Additionally, these facts and legal advice were not included in the basic materials for the establishment of the management plan for public property and the Gijang-gun council's deliberation process. Concerns have also been raised that the signature of the landowner on the appraisal documents may not be in their handwriting.
As a result, Gijang-gun is moving forward with a missing person report to clarify the owner's status and ability to express their intent. If the owner is unable to indicate their intent to sell, the validity of the agency's authority and the contract itself must be re-evaluated from the ground up.
Mayor Woo stated, "We cannot delay measures to manage the taxpayer money invested in the Jukdo purchase contract and the future national funding. We will clarify the issues in the contract process to ensure that taxpayer money is not wasted."
This announcement is based on Gijang-gun's internal investigation, and Sinangchon has yet to release an official statement.
The upcoming audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection is expected to focus on the owner's actual intent to sell, the establishment of agency authority, and the responsibilities of the officials involved in the approval process.
If the audit concludes that the contract is invalid, Gijang-gun will need to recover the payment already made and initiate procedures to restore ownership registration, with a significant likelihood of a complete adjustment to the related national project schedule.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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