Court Ruling on Unpaid Presidential Residence Construction Fees
An interior design company that participated in the presidential residence construction and related projects during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, only to have a portion of its construction costs withheld, has won a partial victory in a lawsuit against the government.
According to the legal community on the 13th, the Civil Agreement Division 18 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Ryu Seung-woo) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in part, stating that the “government must pay approximately 585 million won” in a lawsuit filed by interior design firm A. The court also ordered the state to shoulder 60 percent of the litigation costs.
Background of the Construction Dispute
Firm A participated in renovation work for parts of the main presidential office building and the Presidential Security Service quarters upon the request of the Presidential Security Service in April 2022. However, after failing to receive a portion of the agreed-upon payments, the firm filed a lawsuit in November 2024.
Initially, the amount claimed by Firm A was approximately 900 million won. The court previously issued a reconciliation recommendation last month ordering the state to pay Firm A about 700 million won, but the government filed an objection, leading to the official ruling delivered today.
