[iNews24 reporter Kim Da-woon] Authorities are demolishing shops that have occupied parts of the Mudeungsan National Park valley.
The Korea National Park Service’s Mudeungsan office said on the 12th that it is tearing down commercial buildings that have been occupying the Wonhyo Valley area in Buk-gu, Gwangju.
As part of the Wonhyosa Park Village District redevelopment, crews have demolished 11 of the 27 targeted shop buildings since the 14th of last month and are in the process of demolishing four more.
Officials said the remaining buildings will be dismantled in phases after completing permitting procedures and consultations, since some shopkeepers and residents have not yet vacated.
The project aims to remove aging, dilapidated shops in the deeper reaches of Mudeungsan’s Wonhyo Valley and to restore the local ecosystem.
Some shopkeepers and residents accepted relocation compensation but refused to move, delaying the project and prompting the park office to file complaints against them.
The park office said it will close three trails — Eoksae Plain to Wonhyo Square, Pungamjeong to Wonhyo Square, and the Ironworks site to Wonhyo Square — to protect visitors until the demolition is complete.
Lee Gwan-ok, head of visitor facilities at the park office, said, "We will work to complete the restoration project safely. We plan to restore the damaged ecosystem and land and transform this area into a space where visitors can enjoy nature."
At a Cabinet meeting in February, President Lee Jae-myung said routine reform tasks — such as managing shop fees and clearing illegal structures in rivers and valleys — must be addressed. "Innovation and reform often meet resistance," he said. "But there are problems that are hidden or covered up; we must correct these injustices."
He also urged officials to consider tougher penalties for illegal structures in the valley, including fines large enough to outweigh any profit from such activity.
