Nightmare of Pohang Earthquake... First Certification of 'Earthquake Safety Facility' for Houses in Heunghae-eup, the Most Damaged Area

Partial Support for Certification Costs of Seismic Performance for Facilities

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Pohang City, Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on the 18th that a privately-owned residential building located in Heunghae-eup has received the 'Earthquake Safety Facility Certification' for the first time.

The 'Earthquake Safety Facility Certification Support Project' is a system that verifies the safety of facilities, certifies their seismic performance, and supports part of the necessary costs. The certified facility this time is a detached house over 14 years old, which met all structural safety requirements after a structural review, receiving a certificate and a certification plaque.

Pohang City selected candidates through on-site inspections, document reviews, and deliberations after publicly recruiting applicants in February. To minimize the burden on citizens, the city cooperated with Gyeongbuk Province to expand support for seismic performance evaluations and certification fees up to a maximum of 30 million KRW (60% national funds, 40% local government) and 5 million KRW (30% national funds, 70% local government), respectively. According to relevant laws, benefits such as local tax reductions, national tax deductions, earthquake insurance premium discounts, and relaxed building-to-land ratio and floor area ratio regulations are also available.

The Earthquake Safety Facility Certification Support Project has received positive responses by providing citizens, who find it difficult to afford high costs for seismic performance evaluations amid growing anxiety about earthquakes following the November 15 Pohang earthquake, with an opportunity to verify the safety of their buildings.

Lee Won-tak, head of Pohang City's Earthquake Special Support Team, said, "It is very meaningful to receive the first certification in the Heunghae area, which suffered the most damage from the earthquake through this support project," adding, "We will continue to do our best to secure earthquake safety and create a disaster prevention environment where citizens can live with peace of mind."

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