Plan for Korean Cadastral Reform Project

 The modern Korean cadastral system was established as the Land Survey Department in 1898. The name was changed to the Land Investigation Agency in 1910.

However, with current cadastral maps, it is difficult to present accurate surveying results because the cadastral maps have the problems incurred from expansion, contraction and abrasion. Many problems occur from the fact that some of the cadastral records do not correspond to real circumstances.

 Therefore, it is urgently required to set up a multi-purposed cadastral system and construct a Parcel Based Land Information System through the implementation of the Cadastral Reform Project over the whole country.

 However, the Cadastral Reform Project is a national project which needs lots of technical manpower, expensive surveying equipments, an enormous budget over a long-term period. It will be successful only with the public support, senior government support, continuing education of technical manpower, development and introduction of new technologies, steady securing of budget requirements and establishment of responsible organization are assumed.

 1. INTRODUCTION

 The modern Korean cadastral system originated when the Land Survey Department was established in 1898 and survey projects for agriculture lands were performed. However, budget constraints and natural disasters forced an abandonment of the project after two years. The project was begun anew when the Land Investigation Agency was founded in 1910. the cadastral system was established systematically over the whole country by the Land Surveying Project and the Forest Surveying Project.

 The current Korean cadastral system which was established in the 1910's is still working with some partial improvements; but it is difficult to present accurate surveying results because cadastral maps which were made 80 years ago are not good enough, They Nave the problems of expansion, contraction and abrasion. Some of the cadastral records also have disparity to the real circumstances. Therefore to certify officially the people's ownership of land we have had many difficulties.

 We are now moving forward with the Cadastral Reform Project and constructing a Parcel Based Land Information System. It is urgent that a multi-purpose cadastral system be set up which can be utilized by the national government, local governments and public organizations.

 The triangular geodetic datum system in Korea consists of two regional origin systems and one national level origin system.

Before 1910, a local geodetic datum was made covering 27 cities. Beginning in the 1910's another geodetic datum was set up in an additional 19 cities. After 1913, a national geodetic datum covering the whole country was introduced and the Land Surveying Project and the Forest Surveying Project were carried out.

 Since we have plural geodetic datum systems, we can not integrate to each other.

 2.2 Difficulties to present accurate surveying results

 A numerical surveying method was adopted for urban reallocation districts in 1976. However, a graphical surveying method is still used for most parts of the country and this brings poor accuracy to surveying results.

 The cadastral maps which were made with the graphical surveying method 80 years ago are not accurate and they have the problems of expansion, contraction and abrasion. Disputes over boundaries have arisen because
it is difficult to present accurate surveying results because of personal and instrumental errors.

 Land registration status by surveying method

2.3 Disparity between cadastral records and the real situation

Some registered items in the cadastral records such as land books, forest books, cadastral maps and forest maps
do not correspond to the real situation. There are cases in which cadastral records and land registers have different contents. This undermines the public confidence for cadastral records which are kept by the government agency.

With the growing land use, changes such as subdivisions, merging and change in land categories happen frequently; but the consequent adjustments to the cadastral records are not made in due time. This causes disparity between the cadastral records and the real situation.

Diversified scales of cadastral maps

For cadastral maps there were three kinds of scales: 1:600, 1:1200 and 1:2400. For forest maps there were two kinds of scales: 1:3000 and 1:6000. These scales were introduced when the cadastral system was begun in the 1910's.

The amendment of the cadastral law in 1975 converted the oriental meter system to the metric system and introduced new scales of 1:500 and 1:1000 for cadastral maps. We are now using seven different scales for cadastral maps.

For a segment of land at a village level, different cadastral maps are made using three or four different scales and this causes inconvenience in making, joining, maintaining and managing of the maps.

 The computerization of land books and forest books were started in 1980. Construction of an alphanumeric databases for the city/province level was completed in 1990. Today various land information and civil affairs services are provided through an on-line network connecting 15 special city/province offices and 259 city/ county/district offices.

 Computerization of cadastral maps and forest maps are still in its infancy and there does not exist a graphical databases constructed at the national level. It is impossible to provide land information and civil affairs service linking maps and books. Often the adjustment of cadastral maps and forest maps are made by hand.

 Computerization of Cadastral books and maps

 To minimize the trial and error in the progress of the Cadastral Reform Project, a pilot project was devised and performed by the relevant government agencies, public organizations and private companies. The Cadastral Reform Project will proceed as a special unit at the city/province level. Considering on the possibility for securing the budget and frequency of the civil petitions and urgency of the project, we have decided that the project will be performed on six large cities including Seoul and Pusan on a priority basis, We will pass the Law for the Cadastral Reform Project so that the project can go on steadily and efficiently.

 3.2 General Planning

We are planning to change from a legal cadastral system to multi-purpose cadastral system and from a graphical surveying method to numerical surveying method. As for system of books, maps and acreage units, we will proceed as follows:

Book system: Land book + Forest book - Cadastral book

Map system: Cadastral map + Forest map - Cadastral map

Land category system: Simplified(24 Land categories) - Diversified, Actualized(36 Land categories)

Acreage unit system: Urban area (0.1m~) + Rural area (lm¹) - Nationwide (0.1m¹)

Scale system: 7 Kinds 3 Kinds(urban, rural, mountain area)

To avoid trial and error and invest the national budget efficiently we established a master plan which has three stages. The first stage covered 199495 and we developed a prototype of the Parcel Based Land Information System. In the second stage, 199697, we will operate GPS at regular observatories and enact the Law for the Cadastral Reform Project. In the third stage, 19982010, we will refurbish the surveying control network and start the project for the six large cities including Seoul and Pusan. During that same stage we will construct the Parcel Based Land Information System.

3.4 Budget

For the Cadastral Reform Project on the six large cities the necessary budget is expected to reach to about 1,540 million U.S. dollars. The national government will bear the 60% of the total expense, 20% of the budget will be on the provincial governments and 20% on municipal governments.

To carry out the Cadastral Reform Project steadily and continually we will specify regulations about budget, ratio of imposition and methods for securing the budget in the Law for Cadastral Reform Project.

Budget of the Cadastral Reform Project

(unit : millions)

(unit : persons)

GPS regular observatory