Repair Deadline for Major Defective Facilities Shortened from 5 Years to 3 Years

Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on the Safety and Maintenance of Facilities

Going forward, if a Category 2 facility is deemed to have an insufficient or poor safety grade, it will be required to undergo a detailed safety inspection. After the inspection, repairs or reinforcement measures must also be completed within three years.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 25th that a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on the Safety and Maintenance of Facilities, which includes these provisions, was approved at the Cabinet meeting. The amendment will take effect starting December 4. Previously, in December of last year, the law was revised to strengthen the safety management obligations of facility managers, and this amendment sets out the specific standards.

Currently, only Category 1 facilities are required to undergo detailed safety inspections. Facilities are classified into Categories 1, 2, and 3, depending on the level of safety management required. Category 1 includes buildings with 21 or more floors, bridges longer than 500 meters, and metropolitan water supply systems. Category 2 includes apartments with 16 or more floors, multi-use buildings, and bridges longer than 100 meters. Category 3 refers to small-scale facilities, other than Categories 1 and 2, that are recognized as needing safety management.

In April 2023, the pedestrian walkway of Jeongja Bridge in Bundang, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province suddenly collapsed, resulting in one death and one injury. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

With the amendment, Category 2 and 3 facilities that are rated as ordinary or lower (insufficient or poor) and have been in use for 30 years or more after completion must also undergo detailed safety inspections. The safety inspection process will be upgraded in the following order: regular inspection → detailed inspection → detailed safety inspection. The mandatory period for repairs or reinforcement measures, which was previously up to five years, has now been shortened to a maximum of three years: work must begin within one year of the obligation arising and be completed within two years. If there are circumstances such as the need for demolition and reconstruction, adjustments can be made in consultation with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Additionally, the scope for investigations by the Central Facility Accident Investigation Committee will be expanded from accidents resulting in three or more deaths to those resulting in at least one death. Nam Youngwoo, Director General of Construction Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Proactive safety management of aging and vulnerable facilities is the foundation for protecting the lives and safety of the public."

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