Yoon "Safety Over Economy... Comprehensive Investigation of Apartment Construction Defects" (Summary)

Incheon Geomdan and Additional Cases of Substandard Construction in Gyeonggi Area Increase Public Anxiety
Regarding Heavy Rain Flood Recovery, "Significantly Raise Standards for Adequate Support"

President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 31st instructed a thorough full-scale investigation and establishment of safety measures regarding the poor construction of apartment underground parking lots, stating that "safety is more important than the economy." This action comes in response to growing public anxiety following the collapse of the underground parking lot at an apartment complex in Geomdan, Incheon, and recent cases of poor construction such as missing rebar in other areas of the Gyeonggi region.

President Yoon gave these instructions to Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong during a senior secretaries meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, according to a briefing by presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, is giving a briefing on current issues, including introducing remarks made by President Yoon Suk-yeol at the senior secretaries' meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the afternoon of the 31st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, President Yoon emphasized, "The safety of the people is paramount," and added, "Safety must be prioritized over the economy." He urged Minister Won to "conduct a full investigation into the poor construction of apartment underground parking lots and ensure immediate and thorough safety measures."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held an 'Emergency Safety Inspection Meeting for Public Housing' the previous day and announced that, after a full investigation of 91 apartment complexes with flat slab structures ordered by LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation), missing shear reinforcement was found in 15 complexes. LH, along with structural design offices and safety diagnosis experts, conducted joint inspections using non-destructive testing from May 3, revealing that 15 complexes lacked the required rebar (shear reinforcement). Of these, eight complexes are in the metropolitan area and seven are in other regions; five are for sale apartments and ten are rental apartments.

The flat slab structure is a method where columns directly support the slab (roof) without beams, requiring reinforcement rebar inside the columns to bear the roof load. The underground parking lot in Geomdan New Town, Incheon, which collapsed in April this year, was also designed with a flat slab structure.

According to LH’s investigation, ten complexes were missing rebar due to inadequate design. In some cases, structural calculations for the quantity and placement of rebar were not properly done, or although calculations were correct, the rebar was omitted from the drawings. However, in all 15 complexes with missing rebar, the concrete strength exceeded the design standards. In contrast, the concrete strength of the collapsed Geomdan apartment parking lot was 30% lower than the design specification.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has announced plans for disciplinary and legal actions against those responsible. Minister Won stated, "I deeply bow my head and apologize to the public," and added, "We will implement comprehensive reform measures against the vested interest cartels in the construction sector." LH President Lee Han-jun also said, "We will thoroughly investigate when the design and supervision of the 15 complexes were commissioned and who was involved, and hold those responsible accountable." However, the possibility of discovering more apartments with missing rebar remains high, as the ministry plans to conduct safety inspections on about 100 private apartments with flat slab structures to check for missing rebar.

Meanwhile, President Yoon also instructed Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to "significantly raise the standards compared to before and provide sufficient support" for flood recovery efforts caused by heavy rains during the monsoon season. President Yoon emphasized, "Our government maintains sound fiscal management and saves budget to sufficiently support citizens in hardship," urging strengthened assistance.

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