[Report] Over 30 Years Old Mapo Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartments... "Water Dripping... Urgent Maintenance Needed"

On the Afternoon of the 28th Last Month, Visiting Mapo Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartments

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyul Hwang] "We wash with water twice a year, but water is leaking through the cracks in the hallway ceiling where there are cracks and gaps." (An Jun-mo, representative tenant of Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartment)

"There are cracks all over the exterior walls, and the manhole has been protruding outside alone due to erosion of the surrounding soil since the construction was done a long time ago." (Jo Ok-sun, auditor and tenant of Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartment)

Inside a unit of the Mapo Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartment complex visited around 3 p.m. on the 28th. A resident is holding up two floor mats to show the water pooled on the floor. Photo by Hwang Seoyul

At around 3 p.m. on the 28th of last month, I visited a complex of Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartments in Mapo-gu. Due to rain, a musty stench, possibly from water pooling in the basement, rose up to the common entrance, causing a frown. The smell was also noticeable inside the house. Resident Jeon (78) lifted two floor mats to show the water pooled on the living room floor, and the smell of mold hit the nose inside the house. Water had pooled on the floor, and despite laying two new mats after two rounds of replacement, moisture was still rising through the mats. Jeon complained, "I can't sleep because of the smell in the living room."

Built in 1991 and now over 30 years old, Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartment has been receiving complaints from residents about the aging building in various places. However, due to the old building, a single repair does not seem to lead to a fundamental solution. Mr. Lee (62), who said he had newly wallpapered the ceiling around September after water started leaking from the ceiling in April last year, showed clear water stains again on the ceiling wallpaper. Lee said, "(Even after repairs) it leaked again and again," adding, "Water leaked so much in the room that it almost damaged the television."

At Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartments, signs of aging could be found everywhere, such as cracks in the exterior walls, peeling paint, and gaps in the ceiling. Photo by Hwang Seoyul

The aging of permanent rental housing does not seem to be a problem unique to Seongsan Permanent Rental Apartment. According to the SH website, there are currently 14 permanent rental housing complexes located in Seoul, most of which were built in the late 1980s to early 1990s. The newest complex among them is the Sinnae 12 Complex in Jungnang-gu, which was built on November 20, 1995, and will turn 30 in three years. According to Article 4 of the Seoul City Urban and Residential Environment Maintenance Ordinance, buildings over five stories built after 1986 are considered aged or substandard if they are over 30 years old.

Neither the Seoul Metropolitan Government nor SH Corporation, which are responsible for management, lack awareness of the issues regarding the environment of permanent rental housing. In April, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon promised to gradually renovate 24 public and permanent rental housing complexes that have aged. Seoul City and SH designated the ‘Hagye 5 Complex,’ a permanent rental housing complex, as the first pilot complex. The aging problem of Seongsan Permanent Rental Housing was also conveyed through a SH-resident meeting with City Councilor Kim Ki-deok on the 23rd of last month, and SH decided to review solutions within two months.

However, the inconvenience experienced by tenants during the period before renovation or solutions are implemented is an immediate issue. According to Seoul City, the pilot complex ‘Hagye 5 Complex’ (built in 1989) is currently in the project planning stage, and project approval is scheduled for the first half of next year, so other complexes will likely have to wait even longer. Auditor Jo Ok-sun said, "Being over 30 years old and starting to leak water is a warning sign," adding, "If immediate renovation is difficult, fundamental repairs are urgently needed even for individual households."

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