1.8 Trillion Won Gwangju Singa Redevelopment Union Rift Continues... "So When Will Construction Start?"

Dismissal of Union President and Executives Approved at Emergency Committee Meeting
Six Key Measures for Project Normalization Passed at Leadership's Provisional General Meeting
Validity of General Meeting Resolutions Likely to Be Contested...Legal

"So when will construction actually start?"

This is the question most frequently raised by union members (association members) recently met at the Singadong residential redevelopment project site in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. The Singadong redevelopment project, which has failed to break ground for 15 years, has re-entered a conflict phase after a series of general meetings on the dismissal of the union president and measures to normalize the project. At the general meeting led by the Emergency Response Committee, the motion to dismiss the union president and the executive board was approved, and at the provisional general meeting held the following day by the current leadership, the "Six Key Measures for Project Normalization" were passed.

Sluggish scene at the Singa-dong redevelopment site in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Kim Wanjung

The Emergency Response Committee held a general meeting at 7 p.m. on the 6th on the second floor of the exhibition hall at the Kim Daejung Convention Center and submitted and passed a motion to dismiss the union president and the executive board. In the notice convening the general meeting, the committee cited the fulfillment of the current leadership's campaign pledges and overall issues in the operation of the union as grounds for dismissal.

The notice stated that the pledge made by the union president during the election campaign to keep construction costs at 6.3 million won per pyeong and to break ground within the year had not been fulfilled, and that it was judged to be realistically unlikely to be achieved. It also argued that, in relation to the construction of maintenance infrastructure facilities, unverified information and content unfavorable to the union had been provided to the media, damaging the union's image and, as a result, infringing on the property rights of union members.

Regarding union operations, the committee pointed to procedural problems in pushing ahead with the appointment of an additional full-time director and the retroactive application of salary, even though, at the June 2025 union general meeting, the operating budget had been approved on the basis of just one full-time director. The manner in which negotiations were conducted with the construction consortium and the way the "Six Key Measures for Project Normalization" were submitted as agenda items were also presented as reasons for dismissal.

According to the quorum report of the Emergency Response Committee's general meeting, out of a total of 1,645 union members, 51 attended in person on-site, 535 voted electronically, and 306 submitted written resolutions, for a total of 892 participants in the vote, thereby meeting the quorum requirement. The number of people physically present at the venue was counted as 324.

Bird's-eye view of the Gwangju Singadong Housing Redevelopment and Maintenance Project.

At 2 p.m. the next day, the 7th, a provisional general meeting promoted by the current leadership was held at the same venue. At this provisional general meeting, the "Union Members' Resolutions for Project Normalization (Six Key Measures)" were submitted along with motions to dismiss 37 representatives and 2 directors, and all motions were passed.

According to the quorum report of the provisional general meeting, out of a total of 1,645 union members, 73 voted in person, 631 voted electronically, and 241 submitted written resolutions, for a total of 945 participants in the vote, exceeding a simple majority. The number of people physically present at the venue was counted as 201. Representatives from all five companies that make up the Bitgoeul Dream Project Group, the construction consortium, attended the meeting that day.

The current leadership maintains that the "Union Members' Resolutions for Project Normalization (Six Key Measures)" are intended to resolve the prolonged project delays and create conditions for groundbreaking. They explained that they plan to secure project stability by adjusting the pre-sale price for union members to at least 60% of the general pre-sale price and allocating funds for unsold-unit countermeasures. They added that the method for setting general pre-sale prices will be based on criteria derived from market analysis data, including supply, move-in, and unsold inventory. With regard to the use of an integrated brand and construction methods as well, their stance is that early commencement of construction and project stability take precedence.

Some union members, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the sharp divide between the two sides, saying, "In this situation, won't the results of each general meeting lead to applications for injunctions to suspend their effect or to lawsuits?" and "Our biggest worry is that as the legal disputes drag on, construction and other aspects of the project will be delayed indefinitely."

Meanwhile, the Singadong residential redevelopment maintenance project has been pursued since the area was designated as a maintenance zone in 2011, with the goal of building an apartment complex of 4,718 units in buildings ranging from three basement levels to 29 above-ground floors. The total project cost is approximately 1.8 trillion won. Relocation and demolition were completed in 2023, but construction has not yet begun.

Regarding the construction schedule, a representative of the Bitgoeul Dream Project Group, the construction consortium, said, "We are currently carrying out design changes necessary for groundbreaking, and the schedule may change depending on the permitting and approval procedures," adding, "We plan to minimize the design period and then proceed with groundbreaking after going through the subsequent procedures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.