Yoon: "Construction Interest Cartel Causing Poor Construction... Comprehensive Inspection of All Apartments" (Summary)

Message of 'National Safety First' Ahead of Summer Vacation from 2nd to 8th
Cause of Poor Construction Issues "Construction Cartel... Nationwide Apartment Survey"
Government Reaffirms Priority on Welfare for the Vulnerable... "Restructuring Populism Projects"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 1st, "The vested interest cartels that have neglected public safety must be thoroughly dismantled." This judgment comes from the belief that the cause of nationwide apartment construction defects, which have been increasing public anxiety, lies in the vested interest cartels at construction sites. President Yoon urged a comprehensive inspection of all underground parking lots in apartments nationwide, as well as strict administrative and judicial sanctions.

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon presided over a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office building, saying, "Following a full safety inspection of the flat slab construction method underground parking lots conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation), many citizens have expressed serious concerns about poor construction," and issued these instructions.

Since the Cabinet meeting was held ahead of President Yoon's vacation from the 2nd to the 8th, the focus was on delivering a message for "public safety." President Yoon repeatedly emphasized "public safety," addressing issues such as missing rebar in apartment construction sites, measures against heatwave damage, and responses to indiscriminate heinous crimes.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held on the 1st at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In particular, President Yoon pointed out the problem of defective construction in apartment underground parking lots and brought up the "dismantling of vested interest cartels." Following his directive for a "comprehensive investigation" at the senior secretaries' meeting the previous day, this signals his intention to scrutinize not only the construction system that failed to strictly manage and supervise design and construction issues but also other related areas. This is closely related to the Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition (Gyeongsilryeon) announcing an audit request to the Board of Audit and Inspection, claiming that "the cause of the collapse accident in the underground parking lot of a newly built apartment in Geomdan, Incheon, is preferential treatment by LH." The implication is that construction companies that recruited former LH officials received benefits during the project bidding process, and LH neglected their poor work management, leading to the collapse accident.

This is also a problematic point for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and LH, the responsible authorities. LH President Lee Han-jun said, "LH is an organization that has existed for 60 years since the Korea Housing Corporation era, and upon review, former LH officials are involved regardless of which company is selected," adding, "It is a matter of quantity, not whether there are many or few." He also explained that among the design and supervision companies for the Geomdan apartments, there were more former LH officials from companies that lost the bid.

President Yoon's repeated criticism of the "construction cartel" is in the same context. He said, "All underground parking lots of apartments currently inhabited by residents, constructed using the flat slab method, were designed, poorly constructed, and poorly supervised before our government took office," identifying the cause of the current situation as the "vested interest cartels in the construction industry." He emphasized, "Our government is an anti-cartel government, and without dismantling vested interest cartels and corruption cartels, no innovation or reform is possible." Specifically, he ordered a comprehensive investigation of all underground parking lots in apartments nationwide constructed using the flat slab method. Safety inspections, which began with 91 apartment complexes with flat slab structures ordered by LH and over 100 private apartments, have expanded nationwide, increasing the likelihood of more cases of poor construction such as missing rebar being uncovered.

Additional directives were issued for measures against damage caused by heavy rain and heatwaves, as well as responses to indiscriminate heinous crimes, all aimed at "public safety." President Yoon said, "To proactively respond to heatwaves, this year we allocated heatwave response funds to local governments starting in May and demanded prompt execution," urging thorough protection measures for heatwave victims and strict investigation and strong punishment for heinous crimes such as the indiscriminate stabbing incident at Sillim Station.

President Yoon also supported the increase in the standard median income proposed by the ruling party and government as part of expanding welfare for the vulnerable. In line with the Yoon administration's policy, the standard median income for this year was raised by a record 5.47% based on last year's vulnerable welfare standards, and he suggested applying an increase rate equal to or greater than this next year to raise it to a record high for two consecutive years. Ultimately, this means raising the standards for various welfare projects, including basic living security, while maintaining fiscal soundness to expand the scope of benefits. President Yoon elaborated, "Our government is boldly restructuring vested interest cartel projects and election vote-buying populist projects under a sound fiscal policy to provide even stronger support for those in need."

Furthermore, he reiterated the call for related ministries to establish notifications to restore teachers' authority. President Yoon stated, "Teacher authority means enforcing school rules properly, and without establishing teacher authority, the human rights and learning rights of other students cannot be guaranteed," urging, "The Ministry of Education should immediately enact notifications to be applied in schools starting from the second semester of this year."

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