"Church Steel Tower Threatening Safety During Typhoons"... Songpa-gu Conducts Special Safety Inspection

51 Religious Facility Steeples in Songpa-gu Targeted
"Demolition Orders Issued if Structural Safety Issues Found"

2021 view of the steeple demolition site in Songpa-gu. Provided by Songpa-gu.

Seoul Songpa-gu District Office (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will conduct a special safety inspection on old church steeples that can potentially become life-threatening weapons during typhoons or strong winds. On the 12th, the district announced that it will carry out a special safety inspection this month on 51 religious facility steeples within the district to prevent wind and flood damage.

The inspection targets are old and small-scale vulnerable facilities, specifically buildings with a floor area of less than 1000㎡ or those approved for use before 2000. Considering that this is the first inspection in three years since the 2021 survey, the district has narrowed down the focus from the 85 steeples that were originally subject to investigation.

Old church steeple structures are vulnerable to safety risks. When Typhoon Khanun hit last August, steeples across Gyeonggi Province collapsed one after another, causing significant casualties and property damage, and such incidents occur repeatedly every year.

The inspection method will quantitatively evaluate the steeples based on the 'Building Regular Inspection Manual' checklist under the Building Management Act. A joint team consisting of Songpa-gu Building Safety Center officials and external experts will comprehensively check ▲steeple shaking ▲rust occurrence ▲tilting ▲detachment ▲anchor bolt installation status to ensure safety.

A district official stated, “Since steeples are difficult to access due to the nature of the buildings, we plan to thoroughly inspect them using drone technology in the future,” adding, “We will do our utmost to conduct precise safety inspections without any blind spots.”

Depending on the inspection results, minor hazards will be immediately requested for correction on-site to building owners and church officials. If there are structural safety issues, correction orders ranging from repairs and reinforcements to complete demolition will be issued.

Meanwhile, the initial inspection conducted by Songpa-gu in 2021 targeted 85 steeples exceeding 4 meters in height among a total of 177 religious facilities in the district and lasted for three months, ultimately resulting in the demolition of four steeples.

Mayor Seo Gang-seok said, “We will eliminate risks in daily life and ensure safety through regular inspections rather than one-time checks,” and added, “Protecting residents from disasters and accidents is the most important responsibility of the city, and we will do our best to create a city where daily life is safe.”

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