Seocho-gu, On-site Investigation of 7,906 Illegal Buildings

Buildings subject to unauthorized extension or reconstruction violations without permits or notifications under the Building Act... Encouraging voluntary compliance and enforcing strong administrative measures

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu (District Mayor Eunhee Jo) will conduct a comprehensive on-site investigation of illegal buildings until the end of June to prevent safety accidents such as collapse and fire caused by illegal buildings and to improve the urban landscape.

The investigation targets a total of 7,906 illegal buildings identified based on the analysis of aerial photographs taken by Seoul City last year. The investigation will closely examine the owners, locations, structures, areas, and uses of the illegal buildings.

The representative types of violations include ▲ unauthorized extensions of rooftop, storage, and veranda spaces ▲ unauthorized installation of rain shelters and awnings ▲ unauthorized construction of containers on the site without notification ▲ unauthorized expansion of business spaces using panels and awnings, among others.

By the end of June, based on the on-site investigation results, the district will issue correction orders to the building owners of the detected illegal buildings, allowing sufficient time for restoration to the original state.

Buildings that do not comply with the correction orders will be subject to administrative measures such as registration of violations in the building register, imposition of enforcement fines, and prosecution of the building owners, with continuous management until the corrections are completed.

In addition, the district will strengthen prevention and publicity activities against illegal buildings in parallel with the on-site investigation and will conduct crackdowns to eradicate illegal construction activities.

Furthermore, the district urged that buildings must be constructed according to legal regulations to prepare for unexpected fires and ensure safety, and even for small-scale extensions or installations of structures, inquiries should be made in advance to the district’s Architecture Department to proceed with construction through proper procedures.

District Mayor Eunhee Jo stated, “Through continuous management and maintenance, we will do our best to establish a proper building culture and realize a people-centered safe city in Seocho.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.