LH Union: "Rebar Omission Incident Due to Forced Excessive Supply and Manpower Shortage"

"Concerns Over Misguided Solutions Blamed on 'Jeongwan Yewoo' Favoritism"

The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) labor union stated that the apartment rebar omission incident is due to the government's excessive supply demands and manpower shortages.

The LH union is holding a press conference to announce their position regarding the omission of shear reinforcement in the slab structure in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on the afternoon of the 1st.
[Photo by LH union]

On the 1st, the LH union held a press conference in front of the National Assembly main gate in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, stating, "The cause of this incident lies in the government's excessive real estate supply policy demands and the flawed operation of public institutions that forced performance," and added, "If the incident is diagnosed as being caused by preferential treatment of former officials, there is concern that the solution will be disconnected from the most important issue, the safety of the people."

In particular, the LH union emphasized that the problem lies in the government's excessive volume demands. They explained that while projects have increased, manpower has been reduced, making normal organizational operations difficult.

According to the LH union, they are responsible for 80% of public housing supply, including 1.68 million units under the Housing Welfare Roadmap, 300,000 units in the metropolitan area, 3rd New Town supply, and 1 million units of public housing supply (500,000 units of New Home public sale, 500,000 units of public rental). They also claim that LH has taken on all housing-related social issues, from purchasing flooded semi-basement houses, supporting victims of jeonse fraud, to providing housing support for disaster victims.

The union pointed out, "From 2017 to 2021, LH requested an increase of 1,402 construction site supervisors responsible for construction execution, quality, and safety, but the government only supplemented 373."

They added, "After the 2021 real estate speculation incident, the workforce was reduced by 1,064, worsening manpower shortages, and with the reduction of 106 senior positions and the consolidation of headquarters, normal organizational operations have become difficult."

The union also emphasized that it has become virtually impossible to proceed with normal housing supply within the year since President Lee Han-jun unilaterally ordered the termination of contracts with former official companies.

Currently, LH's housing projects have only 947 units (4%) started against the annual construction plan of 21,509 units, and only 5,117 units (9%) approved against the annual plan of 58,377 units. They stated that delays in construction are inevitable as tasks such as selecting new contractors due to contract suspensions and cancellations, handling lawsuits for damages from existing contractors, and preparing compensation plans accumulate.

Finally, the union said, "We will also strive with a repentant heart to become an LH capable of properly performing the functions of public safety and housing supply," and asked, "We hope the public will watch closely with a sharp eye."

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