Building 101 in Geumcheon-gu and Building 107 in Guro-gu

The scene is the Gasan-dong Hanil U.N.I. apartment complex in Geumcheon-gu and Guro-gu in Seoul. Housewife A found her house in building 101 a mess when she returned from an errand on October 17.

Her house had been robbed. She first notified the apartment security guard of the robbery, and the guard reported it to a policeman who happened to be investigating a robbery in building 107.

However, the police at the scene seemed reluctant to investigate. Building 107 is in the jurisdiction of the Guil Division of the Guro Police Station since it is in Guro-dong, Guro-gu, but building 101 is the jurisdiction of the Gasan Division of the Geumcheon Police Station. Ms. A was told to call 112 to report the incident.

Ms. A was very displeased, saying, “Even though two robberies occurred on the same day at approximately the same time in the same apartment complex, two different police stations will be investigating them. It doesn’t make sense.”

People are experiencing inconveniences due to being in different administrative districts even though they live in the same zone. These people live in one complex but are in two different districts due to land development, road construction, or just careless district management.

In Seoul, there are five instances of similar cases, including the Hanil U.N.I. apartments. People living in the same complex pay different taxes, go to different schools, and buy different garbage bags.

The residents of the Hanjin Grangvill apartment in Hawangsimni-dong, Seongdong-gu, and Shindang-dong, Jung-gu, realize they live in different districts whenever they pay property taxes. Jung-gu and Seongdong-gu have different rates of property tax flexibility (40 percent and 10 percent, respectively).

The owner of a seventh floor, 33-pyeong (standard running rate of 220 million won) apartment in building 103, which is in Jung-gu, paid 331,500 won in property taxes this year. However, the owner of a seventh floor, 33-pyeong (standard running rate 210 million won) apartment in building 101, which is in Seongdong-gu, paid 424,210 won.

Residents of the three buildings (690 households: 307 in Gwanak-gu and 383 in Dongjak-gu) of Boramae Woosung, Woosung Character, and Haitai Boramae in the residential-commercial complex in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu and Shindaebang-dong, Dongjak-gu live in different districts from their upstairs and next-door neighbors.

Due to difficulties deciding who is responsible for services such as telephone offices, post offices, and cleaning, Gwanak-gu and Dongjak-gu have divided them between each other by buildings. This led to confusion, causing instances such as Gwanak-gu residents calling the Dongjak-gu telephone office to install phones.

Although inconveniences of the residents are continuing, it is not easy to adjust administrative districts. The central government or higher self-governing organizations do not have the authority to make this adjustment. An agreement between the district offices involved and a decision at the district assembly are prerequisites, but usually neither district wants to yield since it is a matter of involving the influence of the district such as various local taxes and population count.

So, the city of Seoul has decided to mediate. A “boundary adjustment committee” was formed with the administrative deputy mayor as chairman. Hanil U.N.I. Apartments in Geumcheon-gu and Guro-gu are expected to become the first target for adjustment.

Jo Bong-yeon, chief of the Land Registration Division of the Seoul City Government, said, “There have been examples such as the instance of the city of Busan supporting 130 million won to Saha-gu when they decided to give up part of their district to an adjacent district. We’re considering giving incentives to districts that actively participate in the adjustment of administrative district boundaries.”

gaea@donga.com