Presentation of court mediation plan for conflict over '3.3m level gap' at Busan Port North Port Complex Transfer Center

(Busan = Yonhap News) Reporter Cha Geun-ho = The court presented a mediation plan for the Busan Port Authority (BPA) and the operator, who are engaged in a legal dispute over the so-called '3.3m step' issue at the Busan Port North Port Intermodal Transfer Center.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the 14th Civil Division of the Busan District Court (Chief Judge Shin Heon-ki) made a 'decision to replace mediation' after holding a mediation date for the construction suspension injunction case filed by BPA against the business operator on the 2nd.

As mediation between the two parties was not established at the time, the court presented a mediation plan based on the circumstances of both sides and opinions expressed during the mediation process.

If the parties do not raise an objection within two weeks after receiving this decision, the decision will be confirmed.

Conversely, if either party raises an objection, the conciliation plan loses effect and the trial of the provisional injunction case proceeds again.

In this case, the court makes a final decision to accept or dismiss the application for a temporary injunction to stop construction.

The court's position is that it is difficult to disclose the specific details of the mediation plan as the case is still ongoing because the objection period has not expired.

BPA also expressed its position, saying, “The decision to mediate has been made, but it is difficult to reveal specific details at this time because it is a matter where there is a counterparty.”

This conflict originated from the problem of a 3.3m gap in the pedestrian deck connecting Busan Station and the park in the North Port redevelopment area.

BPA requested that the business operator make corrections, saying that if construction proceeds without correcting design errors, not only will it cause inconvenience to pedestrians, but the view toward Busan Port and Busan Port Bridge may be damaged.

Afterwards, it was determined that the business operator lacked the will to fulfill its contractual obligations, so it notified the termination of the land sale contract and applied for a court injunction to stop construction.

On the other hand, the business operator has gone through a design change process to eliminate the level difference and submitted a revised commitment document expressing its intention to improve, but has insisted that BPA is demanding excessive conditions, such as imposing delay compensation and submitting demolition performance guarantee insurance.

The court conducted an on-site inspection on August 5 and concluded the interrogation on September 10. Considering the public nature and speed of the project, the court recommended autonomous consultation to both sides and held a mediation date on the 2nd.