Court officers began tearing down an illegally built watchtower in Guryong Village in Seoul's Gaepo-dong, the last shantytown in the affluent Gangnam district.
The Seoul Central District Court dispatched enforcement officers to the site on the morning of the 18th to remove the structure, which stood at the entrance to the village.
The watchtower was erected at the village entrance in November 2024. Residents at the time staged a sit-in from the structure, demanding that the Seoul city government issue certificates confirming their residency and guarantee them the right to buy land under the redevelopment plan.
On the 12th of last month, the court handed a one-year prison sentence, suspended for three years, to Yoo, the head of Guryong Village's integrated residents' self-governing committee, who was indicted on charges of violating the Urban Development Act by installing the structure without a permit.
The court also ordered the watchtower removed within one month, according to reports.
Enforcement officers appear to have moved in after the deadline passed with the structure still standing.
Two men in their 70s, believed to be residents, climbed onto the watchtower, causing a brief commotion, but no physical clashes occurred, according to reports.
Officers moved items out of a tent in front of the watchtower before dismantling the structure. By about 1 p.m., most of it had been cleared except for some steel framing.
Seoul Housing & Urban Development Corporation (SH) acquired all land and property rights in Guryong Village last year and announced plans to build an apartment complex there by 2029.
Disputes with some residents continue over compensation for their losses.
SH said it plans to complete the demolition at some point during the day.
