Gyeonggi-do Conducts Full Inspection of 'Flat Slab Structure Apartments' with Missing Rebars... 95 Complexes

The Gyeonggi-do Apartment Quality Inspection Team is visiting and inspecting an apartment complex under construction.

Gyeonggi Province is set to conduct a comprehensive inspection of apartments using flat slab structures amid controversies over poor construction, including missing rebar.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 1st that, starting mid-month once preparations are complete, it will deploy the "Gyeonggi Province Apartment Quality Inspection Team" to conduct a full inspection for missing rebar at a total of 95 complexes: 88 private multi-family housing complexes in the province with flat slab structures (25 under construction, 63 completed) and 7 public multi-family housing complexes by Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) (4 under construction, 3 completed).

The flat slab structure is a design where columns directly support the slab (concrete ceiling) without horizontal beams. This structural method has recently become a social issue following a collapse accident in April at the underground parking lot of an apartment complex built with a flat slab structure by Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in Geomdan, Incheon.

Gyeonggi Province will first verify design documents, the appropriateness of rebar placement in key structural parts, and construction adequacy through non-destructive testing for 29 complexes currently under construction by September. Subsequently, inspections including design document reviews and concrete strength verification will be conducted on 66 completed complexes by the end of the year. Complexes found to have deficiencies will undergo repair and reinforcement.

Additionally, for six flat slab apartment complexes such as LH Yangju Hoecheon (A15), which require building permits from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the province plans to coordinate countermeasures with the Ministry and LH.

The Gyeonggi Province Apartment Quality Inspection Team is an organization of private experts who conduct quality inspections from the structural construction phase through completion to improve apartment quality and resident satisfaction. It was first introduced by Gyeonggi Province in 2007 and has become a model case adopted nationwide.

Gyeonggi Province explained that although the inspection team conducts four rounds of quality inspections (during structural construction, after structural completion, before use inspection, and post-inspection) by adding three extra inspections through local ordinances beyond the mandatory pre-use inspection under the Housing Act, it is pushing this comprehensive inspection to alleviate residents' concerns.

Lee Gye-sam, Director of the Urban Housing Office of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Since 2007, Gyeonggi Province has consistently strived to improve apartment quality through the operation of the Apartment Quality Inspection Team. We hope this special inspection of apartments using flat slab structures will ease residents' anxieties, confirm the safety of apartments in Gyeonggi Province, and serve as an opportunity to address any shortcomings with renewed determination."

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