Nanji Golf Course Might Open to the Public for Free Again

The long disputes over the right to run the Nanji Golf Course are flaring up again between the Seoul city government and the Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation (SOSPF). The feud was triggered by the SOSPF’s plan to open the golf course to the public for free for the second time.

The SOSPF opened the golf club to the public free of charge for the first time during October to December last year. It was confirmed on March 7 that the foundation officially informed the Seoul city government on February 28 of its plan to open it again to the public.

In the official document sent to the city government under the name of the chief director of the SOSPF board, the sports foundation proposed to open the golf course, emphasizing, “It is a duty of a public organization to minimize socio-economic loss by providing public access to the Nanji Golf Course.” The foundation added that it would unilaterally push for the opening of the golf course although the city government opposes the plan.

The Seoul city government strongly rejected SOSPF’s proposal. An official at the city government hinted a strong countermeasure, saying, “We will positively consider imposing them a compensation for the use of the land without permission if they have their way.”

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com