Court Rules to Cancel Zoning Change for Namsan Gondola, Seoul Loses Appeal

An appellate court has also ruled that the Seoul Metropolitan Government's decision to change the zoning of the project site for operating a gondola on Namsan should be revoked.

On September 17, the Administrative Division 7 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Kwon Soon-hyung) ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, upholding the first-instance decision, in a lawsuit filed by Korea Cable Car, the operator of the Namsan cable car, and others against the Seoul Metropolitan Government, demanding the cancellation of the urban management plan decision.

The appellate court did not explain the specific reasons for the ruling in the courtroom.

The lawsuit was filed in September 2024 by Korea Cable Car and others in objection to the city's decision to change the zoning of the site from an urban natural park zone to an urban planning facility park to install intermediate support pillars (steel columns) 30 meters or higher on Namsan, which are necessary for operating the gondola.

Korea Cable Car has held a monopoly on operating the Namsan cable car since 1962.

The city's plan is to build a gondola system featuring twenty-five 10-seater cabins capable of transporting more than 2,000 people per hour to improve accessibility for visitors, as the current cable car operates with only two 48-seater cabins.

However, in December of last year, the first-instance court ruled to cancel the decision, stating that the Seoul Metropolitan Government's move failed to meet the criteria for the change or liftment of urban natural park zones under the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Parks and Green Areas.

This provision stipulates that an urban natural park zone can be lifted only for areas where green spaces have been damaged, significantly impairing the natural environment's conservation function or causing the area to lose its function as a leisure and rest space.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government argued that this provision does not apply when changing an urban natural park zone into a facility park, but the court did not accept this argument.

The court pointed out that urban natural park zones and facility parks are clearly distinguished, as they are governed by different legal regulations.

Therefore, it concluded that the administrative disposition changing an urban natural park zone into a facility park is also subject to the criteria regarding the change or liftment of urban natural park zones.

Construction for the Namsan gondola has been suspended for two years since the court accepted an application for suspension of execution filed by Korea Cable Car and others in October 2024.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.