Residents of the ‘retaining wall apartment’ take collective action… “Answer Lee Jae-myung directly”

In relation to the collective action of apartment residents in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the safety issue was raised, the People’s Power raised the theory of responsibility for Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.

Choi Ji-hyeon, spokesperson for the People’s Power predecessor headquarters, pointed out in a commentary on the 22nd, “The collective action of the residents’ anger, candidate Lee Jae-myung will have to answer directly.” It was reported that about 200 residents of Baekhyeon-dong apartment submitted an application to the city on the 21st to meet with Mayor Eun Su-mi for safety reasons.

The Baekhyeon-dong apartment-related project started in 2015 when candidate Lee Jae-myung was the mayor of Seongnam. At that time, Seongnam City is also suspected of preferential treatment for changing the use of the apartment site from a natural green area to a semi-residential area. Safety issues also surfaced, such as the height of the retaining wall surrounding the apartment reached 50m due to forcible cutting of the mountain.

In this regard, spokesperson Choi Ji-hyeon explained, “When Seongnam City ignored legitimate complaints, citizens’ anger exploded, saying, ‘Please clarify the city’s position on the safety issue of retaining walls’.” He continued, “The only thing left for the residents is an apartment with a retaining wall up to 50 meters high and Seongnam City pending approval for the construction while the mountain has been cut almost vertically.”

Spokesperson Choi said, “(Among these) specialized organizations did not submit safety research reports on retaining walls, and Seongnam City said, ‘If only the developer and the residents agree, then the construction will be granted.’ Isn’t that a threat?” he asked.

The suspicion of preferential treatment for the retaining wall apartment in Baekhyeon-dong was also revisited. Spokesperson Choi pointed out, “For the retaining wall apartment in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung personally signed all the approval documents, such as the change of site use, building permits, and reduction of the rental housing ratio.”

He also said, “When Kim In-seop, the former head of Lee’s predecessor, was recruited by a private developer, the use of the natural green area was upgraded by four steps to a semi-residential residence, and the price of the land soared by at least 300 billion won. We also received 7 billion won,” he said.

Spokesperson Choi said, “Everyone is puzzled by what role Kim was able to receive to receive 7 billion won.”