City moves to secure ownership of properties neglected for up to 45 years
Bucheon has identified 73 parcels of public land — valued at about 10 billion won ($6.51 million) based on official land prices — that were never properly transferred to the city, and has begun procedures to secure ownership rights over the properties.
The city announced Thursday that a 2026 special audit on public property management and utilization had reviewed all roughly 7,600 public properties citywide, cross-checking registry documents, land cadastres and public property management ledgers. The audit uncovered cases of unregistered land and unauthorized occupation.
Among the findings, 12 parcels in Songnae-dong — including a children's park and roads acquired in 1979, totaling 3,204 square meters and valued at about 2.2 billion won — had gone unregistered for 45 years. The city said it has completed rights-preservation measures for those parcels.
Two buffer green-zone parcels covering 2,145 square meters and valued at about 2.1 billion won, which should have been transferred to the city free of charge following a housing construction project in the Beombak district, are now undergoing ownership transfer proceedings. So is a tract of state-owned land that had not been transferred for more than 30 years.
In total, 73 parcels were identified, including land where road-dedication obligations had not been fulfilled and plots whose transfer was overlooked during urban planning projects.
The city plans to secure rights over the identified properties while also drawing up efficient management measures — including reclassification and sale — for public land with low utilization.
The audit also found nine cases of unauthorized occupation or private use of public property. The city has taken administrative action against those responsible, including imposing penalty charges.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
