▲ This photo, shows the sight of new apartments being constructed between the Jangneung Royal Tomb, Gimpo. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) --The district office has approved the occupancy of the apartment built without permission from the Cultural Heritage Administration nearby the Jangneung Royal Tomb, Gimpo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Seo-gu, Incheon announced on the 30th that it had given a confirmation of usage inspection to Daekwang E&C (Daekwang Construction), a construction company that had built a 735-unit apartment in Geomdan New Town, Seo-gu, Incheon, near Jangneung, Gimpo.

Once the usage inspection confirmation certificate is issued, the construction company can proceed with the move-in procedure. Thus, this practically means that Seo-gu has approved the occupancy of the apartment.

"According to the Housing Act, we conducted consultations with related departments and on-site inspections," said an official from Seo-gu. "At the time of the approval, we checked whether the apartment construction was completed as stated and issued a confirmation for the inspection."

Accordingly, people are expected to move into the apartment from today till the 14th of September this year, as it has been announced on the construction company's website.

Seo-gu also decided to review other construction companies that built apartments near Jangneung, Gimpo, such as JS Global (Construction Golden Swan) and Daebang Construction (the same contractor) according to the Housing Act when an application for usage inspection is received.

Previously, the Cultural Heritage Administration requested Seo-gu to suspend the inspection process for the apartment that was built in violation of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, as matters like ownership and other legal relations will become complicated. However, it has not been accepted.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has also applied for administrative adjustment to the Administration Council Regulation Committee, under the Prime Minister's Secretariat.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has previously ordered 19 out of 44 apartments, which provides about 3,400 homes, in Geomdan New Town to stop their construction. However, the court accepted the construction companies' side to continue its construction and so was resumed. Currently, related lawsuits are on its way.

In September last year, the Cultural Heritage Administration filed a complaint against the three construction companies for violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, and police investigations are currently on progress.

Jangneung is the royal tomb of Wonjong, the father of King Injo (1623 - 1649),16th king of Joseon and his wife, Queen Inheon.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Haemin Kim.)

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