One of South Korea’s landmark foreign investment projects — a $2bn deal to build skyscrapers designed by British architect Richard Rogers — has prompted a bitter legal challenge from a branch of the Unification Church, often known as the Moonies, who own the land.
The lawsuit has stalled financing for the project managed by Skylan, a pan-Asian developer with British managers, including several relatives of Lord Rogers, the Financial Times reports.
The foundation’s lawyer, Sung Jin-hyuk, said the suit accuses the Y22 Project Financing Investment, the vehicle through which Skylan manages the development, with fraudulently contravening the lease agreement.
“The land is a holy place for us and we want to use part of the buildings for the church once we get them back but Skylan is trying to sell the buildings to others, said a planning official at the church.