Korea Commission on Human Rights Requests Suspension of Blasting Work on Detached House Sites in Sejong City

2137 Residents from 3 Complexes Near Goun-dong File Collective Complaint

A view of the construction site for the Administrative City 1-1 Living Zone Detached Housing Site Development Project, taken from the 23rd floor of Garak Village Complex 22, Gowun-dong, Sejong Special Self-Governing City. (Photo by Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced on the 24th that it has launched an investigation into the collective complaint regarding the suspension of blasting work in the single-family housing site development project in the 1-1 Living Zone of the Administrative City in Sejong Special Self-Governing City.

The investigation site is a construction area of approximately 306,000㎡ located north of Goun-dong, Sejong City.

According to the Commission, the land development work began in January 2016 but was suspended around August 2018 due to a change in plans following the establishment of a specialized plan for single-family housing sites.

At the start of the construction, 440 households in Garak Village Complex 22 moved in. During the suspension period, Complex 18 with 667 households (moved in May 2018) and Complex 19 with 998 households (moved in February last year) were occupied.

Location map of the blasting construction site for detached house land in Gowoon-dong, Sejong Special Self-Governing City. (Source: Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission)

A total of 2,137 residents from Garak Village Complexes 18, 19, and 22 recently filed a collective complaint with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, stating that the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) plans to resume the land development blasting work.

The Commission reported that the residents were outraged because the blasting work could have been completed before the apartment move-ins began, but the construction is only now resuming after more than two years.

According to the Commission’s fact-finding investigation, the longitudinal slope in the area was initially planned to be 10% or less but was adjusted to 7% or less. During the establishment of the specialized plan, a traffic impact assessment adjusted the longitudinal slope for reasons including winter traffic safety. The longitudinal slope refers to the slope installed in the direction of the road’s progression.

With the plan change, approximately 400,000㎥ of blasting work will be required, equivalent to about 39,000 dump truck loads.

Detached House Site Roads and Complex Layout Map
Detached house site roads and complex layout map of Goun-dong, Sejong Special Self-Governing City. (Source=Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission)

A resident of Garak Village Complex 22 said, "After moving into the apartment, the blasting work started, causing the new apartment to shake and immense suffering due to construction dust," adding, "It is infuriating that they are planning to resume blasting work after more than two years."

An official from the Commission stated, "Considering comprehensively that the surrounding new apartment complexes were completed and fully occupied during the single-family housing site plan change process, and that blasting work is expected to cause vibration, noise, and dust damage to nearby apartment residents for several months, we will seek a reasonable solution to the collective complaint in cooperation with related agencies such as the Administrative City Construction Agency and LH."

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