The state-run operator of South Korea's national railroads said Thursday it will consider an overhaul of its ongoing plans to construct a railroad in Gangwon Province, after its route was found to have been tampered with during the planning stage.
The Korea National Railway said that it will re-examine from scratch the outlines for the planned 8.13-kilometer railway section connecting the cities of Chuncheon and Sokcho in the province.
The decision by the KNR followed controversy after local media outlets reported that the 51-year-old owner of a plot of land in the middle of the planned railway is likely to receive compensation for his land being used in the state project, despite the court ruling finding him guilty for unlawfully interfering with the plans for the new railroad.
According to a report by local Yonhap News agency, the original plans involved the new section being right in front of the person's land, which made him fear that the noise would bring down his property value. He approached a high-ranking official of the engineering firm that was commissioned for the railway's layout, and requested a new route that would bypass his own land.
A person whose land is to be used in a state project is entitled to compensation, in accordance with the Act on Acquisition of and Compensation for Land for Public Works Projects. A new route was proposed to the authorities, and the official of the engineering firm was handed 200 million won ($137,000) on two occasions by the land owner.
The land owner and the firm official were each found guilty of taking part in bribery involving the state project, with the former receiving a suspended prison term and the latter receiving a jail term. The land owner decided not to appeal after the appellate court ruling.
Despite this illegal act that occurred in the planning phase, the KNR initially sought to push ahead with the plan. The part that passes through the land in question had been under review of the affiliated agencies, which confirmed would have resulted in the land-owner will receive 3 billion won in compensation despite tampering with the railway plan.
This is because of a legal loophole in the aforementioned land compensation act, which does not address the unlawful activities that happened regarding compensation during the planning phase of the state project. Officials of the KNR said their legal consultations told them that there is no way to punish or deny compensation in this case, although they vowed to ensure that the engineering firm involved will be banned from the railway authority's future projects.
But with the decision for an all-out review of the plans, it is possible that the KNR could decide on a new railway route that will not pass through the land in question.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
