Supreme Court orders Seoul gov't to pay fee for Gyeongui Line Forest Park

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the Seoul city government must pay usage fees to the Korea National Railway for the use of a park built atop a former railroad track. The decision stems from a lawsuit initiated by the Seoul city government to overturn a 42.1 billion won ($29.8 million) fee imposed by the railway authority.

The Gyeongui Line Forest Park, a 6.3-kilometer linear park spanning western Mapo, was constructed between 2008 and 2016 on what was once above-ground railway tracks after parts of the Gyeongui Line were relocated underground. Although the Seoul city government and the national railway signed a 2010 agreement granting the city free use of the land, legal disputes arose in April 2011 when a revision to the State Property Act prohibited free leases of state-owned property for over a year.

The railway company subsequently refused to renew the permit for free use and began collecting usage fees in November 2020, leading to the city's legal challenge in February 2021. A district court initially sided with the city in 2024, but an appellate court subsequently reversed that ruling.