Songdo Cargo Truck Lot Remains Closed Four Years Later Despite Supreme Court Win

A cargo truck parking lot in Songdo, built at a cost of 5.1 billion won, remains inaccessible four years after its completion, even after a legal victory. The Incheon Economic Free Zone Authority (IFEZ) has repeatedly requested additional documentation from the Korea Marine & Port Authority (KMPA) for the temporary structure permit needed for operation.

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Resident complaints alone cannot justify rejecting the temporary structure permit. It is also difficult to consider it a matter of significant public interest.

Despite the KMPA winning a lawsuit against the IFEZ, confirming their right to open the parking lot, the IFEZ continues to delay the process with further administrative demands. The KMPA had constructed the 50,000 square meter facility with 402 parking spaces in 2022 to serve trucks operating at the nearby Incheon New Port.

However, residents of nearby apartments have opposed the opening, fearing increased noise and dust from truck traffic. A court ruled that resident complaints alone cannot justify rejecting the temporary structure permit, stating that the public interest in opening the lot outweighs such concerns. This ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court.

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The Incheon Marine & Port Authority plans to operate the parking lot unmanned in the future, but we doubt whether it can be operated without any problems for 400 spaces when unmanned. We also doubt whether the infrastructure is in place, as they reported a temporary office for temporary structures.

The IFEZ, however, argues its recent requests are unrelated to resident complaints and are based on legitimate concerns about the KMPA's plan to operate the lot unmanned. An IFEZ official expressed doubt about the feasibility of managing 402 spaces without staff and questioned the adequacy of infrastructure for the proposed temporary office. The KMPA maintains that the IFEZ must approve the permit as per the court's final decision and plans to communicate further to begin operations in the first half of the year.

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We are requesting the Incheon Economic Free Zone Authority to comply with the final court ruling. We will communicate to operate the parking lot in the first half of the year.