"Rebar Missing in Bare-Bones Apartment, Winners 'Frustrated: How Can We Live in Fear?'"

Netizens Outraged Over Disclosure of Apartment Complexes with Missing Rebar
Comprehensive Negligence Revealed Throughout Design, Supervision, and Construction Processes

The underground parking lot of Namyangju Byeollae First Foret Apartment, where reinforcing steel bars were found to be missing. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

As 15 apartment complexes managed by Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) were revealed to have omitted rebar in their underground parking lots, online posts expressing anxiety from those who have moved into or plan to move into LH apartments have been pouring in.

On the 31st, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office, disclosing the list of LH apartments with missing rebar, along with the construction companies and supervision firms involved. Among these, five complexes?Paju Unjeong, Namyangju Byeollae, Asan Tangjeong, Eumseong Geumseok (A2 rental), and Gongju Wolsong (A4 rental)?have already been occupied by residents.

Three complexes are currently in the process of occupancy: Suseo Station Area (A-3BL sale), Suwon Dangsuh (A3 sale), and Chungnam Provincial Office Relocation New Town (RH11 rental). One complex, Osan Segyo 2 (A6 rental), has completed construction and is scheduled for occupancy. Six complexes are still under construction: Paju Unjeong 3 (A23 sale), Yangsan Sasong (A-2 sale), Yangju Hoecheon (A15 rental), Gwangju Seonun 2 (A2 rental), Yangsan Sasong (A-8BL rental), and Incheon Gajeong 2 (A-1BL rental).

"I'm scared to move in" - Continued expressions of anxiety

According to LH, reinforcement rebar omissions were confirmed in 15 apartment complexes out of 91 designed with a flat slab structure. LH explained, "There are 10 complexes where calculation errors or missing markings on the drawings occurred during the design process, and 5 complexes where omissions happened during construction."
[Photo by Kim Dahee]

Once the list was specifically disclosed, communities of those who have moved into or plan to move into the affected apartments stirred. On the 'Entering National Public Private Rental Apartments' (Gukgongmin) cafe, which has 800,000 members, posts such as "I won the lottery for an apartment with missing rebar" and "I'm scared to move into an LH apartment" began appearing after the official list started circulating.

Residents or prospective residents also expressed their anxiety through posts and comments. A resident who lived for a year in one of the apartments with missing rebar said, "I was just thinking about moving next year, but now I have no choice but to go. Who could live here feeling scared?"

Although LH announced plans to reinforce the affected apartment complexes by adding columns in the underground parking lots or supplementing load-bearing facilities on existing columns, anxiety and worry among prospective residents persist.

One netizen said, "Still, isn't it different from having rebar installed? This is really absurd," while another commented, "Even with repair work, I don't feel at ease. How can I feel comfortable when rebar that should have been there was missing?" Another netizen said, "Honestly, I wish they would just tear everything down and rebuild."

There were also calls for strong punishment of those responsible. Comments included, "Properly punish those responsible and expand the investigation," and "Will they only wake up after a major casualty?"

Regarding Yangju Hoecheon A15, where all 154 columns that should have had shear reinforcement rebar installed were found missing, reactions included, "At this point, it's amazing the apartment is still standing; all involved should be punished."

Government points to vested interest cartels as cause of poor construction

According to LH, among 91 apartment complexes designed with flat slab structures, missing reinforcement rebar was confirmed in 15 complexes. LH explained, "Ten complexes had errors in calculations or omissions in drawing indications during the design process, and five complexes had omissions during construction."

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is announcing the investigation results of the LH flat slab structure at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 31st.
Photo by Jin-hyung Kang aymsdream@

Even the supervision, which should have overseen the construction process, failed to detect the poor construction, revealing deficiencies at virtually every stage.

A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official stated, "Many cases of missing shear reinforcement rebar were found during the design process, and it was confirmed that supervision also failed to identify these issues," adding, "Poor construction was found in all stages including design, construction, and supervision, similar to the Incheon Geomdan New Town incident."

Notably, among the 15 complexes with missing reinforcement rebar, supervision firms for eight complexes are known to be 'former official firms' where retired LH employees have been re-employed, intensifying the controversy.

As poor construction incidents continued at LH-commissioned sites, President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed Minister Won Hee-ryong on the same day to "conduct a thorough investigation of poor construction in apartment underground parking lots and ensure complete safety measures."

In response, Minister Won presided over a briefing on the investigation results, stating, "We deeply regret that the basic safety of the public was not upheld in public housing, which should be the safest and most robust," and "No matter the cost, we will prioritize public safety and take thorough measures."

Furthermore, Minister Won pointed to vested interest cartels in the construction industry as the cause of poor construction and expressed determination to eradicate them. In particular, he emphasized rooting out the habitual safety negligence and vested interest cartels related to poor construction.

Minister Won Hee-ryong said, "We will conduct a detailed investigation into what mistakes LH officials made and plan to take personnel actions and legal penalties," adding, "If public authority is deemed necessary, we will proceed with full investigation and prosecution."

However, Minister Won added, "The issue this time pertains to columns in underground parking lots using flat slab structures, and since there are no buildings above the underground parking lots, there is no concern about the safety of the residential parts."

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