| The construction site of a mosque in Daegu is seen in this Feb. 14 photo. Korea Times file |
An appeals court ruled in favor of a group of Muslims seeking to repeal an administrative order suspending construction of a mosque in the southeastern city of Daegu, Friday, rejecting an appeal from residents complaining about noise and other issues.
The Buk District office in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, had initially approved the construction of an Islamic mosque in a residential area of Daehyeong-dong in September 2020, but issued the suspension order in February last year following complaints from residents.
The Muslims pushing for the construction filed a suit to get the suspension order canceled, and a district court ruled in their favor last year, saying the ward office issued the suspension order based on complaints rather than legal grounds.
The district office did not appeal the decision, but residents took the case to the appeals court.
Despite the district court's ruling, construction could not move forward because residents hampered the project by blocking the entrance to the construction site with their cars, and putting up anti-Islamic posters and banners in the area.
Residents claim they will suffer noise pollution and other inconveniences because of the mosque.
Separately, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea recommended in October that the district office take measures to resume construction. (Yonhap)