English translation of the original Korean report. Images and source documents may contain Korean text.

As a 40m high steel tower is being built near ‘Elif Sejong Smart City,’ sold by Kyeryong Construction Industrial in Sejong Happy City, 5-1 Life Zone (Hapgang-dong), buyers are demanding its relocation.

Although there were two lines mentioning the steel tower in the 85-page resident recruitment announcement submitted by the Kyeryong Construction Consortium last November, it did not state what kind of steel tower, how high it would be, or when it would be built.

According to the resident recruitment announcement for this complex, disclosed on the Sejong City website on the 3rd, the project owners (developers) are three companies: Kyeryong Construction Industrial, Won Construction Industrial, and Donggwang Urban Construction. Construction was undertaken by Kyeryong Construction Industrial and Won Construction. The complex will be built in 5-1 Life Zone, L9 Block, with 2 basement floors to a maximum of 18 above-ground floors, comprising 424 households, and is scheduled for occupancy in late February 2028.

The facility that buyers are taking issue with is the CT steel tower being built at San 61, Hapgang-dong. A CT steel tower is a Cable Tower erected at a point where overhead transmission lines are converted to underground lines. This steel tower is located approximately 200m from the complex, and is being built to a height of 40m for power supply between Sejong and Wolsan, with completion scheduled for June next year.

Buyers claim they were not informed in advance. One buyer stated, “The construction of a CT steel tower, which was not announced in advance, right next to a residential complex is an act that disregards residents’ right to choose.” Buyers are also protesting, stating that the distance from the steel tower to the future elementary school site is only about 200m.

Prospective residents have gathered alternatives in a mobile group chat and are proposing to LH Sejong Special Headquarters to move the steel tower to a reserved site at San 51, Myeonghak-ri, approximately 800m to the south. They state that if a new large-scale apartment complex is sold nearby, they will form solidarity with those buyers.

■ In the Announcement: ‘Steel Tower is Located’ and ‘No Raising Issues’

In the resident recruitment announcement issued by project owners including Kyeryong Construction, the steel tower appears in two places. On page 64, under “Notes,” there is one sentence: “High-voltage lines and a steel tower are located on the east side of the complex.”

On page 67, under the ‘External Conditions of the Complex’ item, it states, “As transmission lines (including steel towers) and various urban facilities are planned or located in this project area and adjacent areas, no issues regarding environmental impact caused by these facilities can be raised later.” This is a disclaimer clause stating that subscribers cannot raise objections later.

Neither of the two sentences explains that a new CT steel tower would be built to put transmission lines underground. The sentence on page 64 uses the present tense, indicating that the steel tower is already ‘located,’ and it did not state the fact that a new steel tower would be built approximately 200m from the complex, nor its specific location or lot number. Words like ‘CT,’ ‘cable tower,’ or ‘undergrounding’ could not be found anywhere in the entire announcement.

LH’s explanation is different. An official from LH Sejong Special Headquarters stated, “When recruiting construction companies for apartments in the 5-1 Life Zone, we notified them in advance that power supply facilities (CT steel towers) would be built nearby,” adding, “Implementation guidelines and decision documents were already disclosed in the resident recruitment announcement even before the land sale.”

According to LH’s explanation, the CT steel tower plan was already known to the developers who purchased the land. However, in the announcement received directly by subscribers, only the sentences ‘a steel tower is located’ and ‘issues cannot be raised’ remained, with the type and location of the new steel tower omitted.

The largest shareholder of Kyeryong Construction Industrial is Chairman Lee Seung-chan of Kyeryong Construction Industrial. As of the end of last year, Chairman Lee holds a 22.97% stake, and the combined stake with related parties, including the Kyeryong Scholarship Foundation and relatives, is 38.50%. Chairman Lee became the largest shareholder in 2017 by inheriting the shares of the late Honorary Chairman Lee In-gu, the founder, and oversees management as a registered executive director. The representative directors are President Oh Tae-sik and President Yoon Gil-ho.

An LH official stated regarding the demand for steel tower relocation, “We have nothing to say about the steel tower complaint at this moment.” The steel tower is scheduled for completion in June next year, and the buyers’ move-in date is late February 2028, eight months after that.