President Lee said to Sarang Jeil Church, “Is there anything that can be done by force?”

Inspection of the Jangwi-dong redevelopment site where the church is located… “It will be strictly enforced from now on.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Yoon-ki = On the 4th, President Lee Jae-myeong ordered a strict response to Sarang Jeil Church, which opposed redevelopment and blocked forced execution, saying, “In a country governed by the rule of law, how can we stand by force?”

President Lee said this after visiting a redevelopment site in Jangwi-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul this afternoon and receiving an explanation of the redevelopment plan for Jangwi District 10, where Sarang Jeil Church is located.

President Lee said, “Isn’t it true that (the business plan) was changed and removed because compulsory execution was not possible? It makes no sense,” and added, “There is no way in the world that you can just endure even if you break the law.”

He then asked Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro, “The district mayor will enforce it thoroughly from now on.”

Jangwi District 10 was designated as a maintenance area in 2008 and received management and disposal plan approval in 2017, but the project was delayed for a long time as Sarang Jeil Church, which is included in the project site, demanded compensation higher than the appraised value.

The union filed a lawsuit against Sarang Jeil Church and won, but the church delayed the project by resisting the Supreme Court's forced demolition order.

Seongbuk-gu changed its project implementation plan in June last year to redevelopment excluding Sarang Jeil Church.