[Exclusive] Mandatory Local Government Inspections of 'Illegally Expanded Factories' Under Consideration... Land Committee Discusses Building Act Amendment

Ministry of Land Considers Measures After Daejeon Safety Industry Fire
Mandatory Enforcement Penalties for Unauthorized Buildings Under Review
"Illegal Factory Extensions Only Detected When Reported"

It has been revealed that the Safe Industrial factory in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, where a major disaster claimed the lives of 14 people, had undergone illegal extensions. In response, the government is reportedly considering measures that would require local governments to investigate not only residential but also factory buildings during the legislative process for the management of building code violations.

On March 26, the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that, as part of the ongoing national policy initiative, they are reviewing legislation on the reasonable management of building code violations. The legislation would mandate local government investigations for both residential and factory buildings found to be in violation, require compulsory imposition of non-compliance fines for illegal structures, and strengthen enforcement by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Currently, investigations and the imposition of non-compliance fines regarding building violations are left to the discretion of local governments. In this regard, an official from the office of a Democratic Party lawmaker explained, "Because it is not mandatory, local governments are often reluctant to impose fines for non-compliance."

(Daejeon = Yonhap News) Photo by Junbum Kim = A view from the sky of the exterior of Safe Industrial in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, where a major fire broke out on the morning of March 21, 2026. psykims@yna.co.kr (End)

In October last year, the government announced a plan for the reasonable management of building code violations, stating that local governments would be required to conduct regular inspections based on changes seen in aerial photographs and ensure the effectiveness of non-compliance fines. In particular, the plan called for imposing non-compliance fines repeatedly and increasing them annually in all local governments until the violations are rectified.

However, because factory buildings are primarily managed by local governments rather than the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, existing policies have focused mainly on residential buildings.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "Local governments are responsible for managing building code violations, but only multi-use facilities such as department stores are subject to mandatory inspections. So far, due to staffing and other issues, it has been difficult to conduct regular inspections of factories." The spokesperson added, "Regarding the Safe Industrial fire, the ministry is currently investigating whether illegal extensions or other violations of the law occurred."

Since illegal extensions have been identified as a key factor that exacerbated the damage in the Safe Industrial factory fire, authorities intend to include factories in the move to make building code enforcement mandatory. The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee is expected to soon review a proposed amendment to the Building Act that contains these changes. Including factory buildings as subjects of management may be revised or supplemented during discussions on pending bills.

Among the currently proposed amendments to the Building Act under review by the committee are a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Chun Junho, which would include unregistered designers or builders who commit violations in post-approval management and in the scope of penalty provisions to enhance the effectiveness of non-compliance fines, and another bill sponsored by Assemblyman Kwon Youngse, which seeks to strengthen the building safety monitoring system so that authorities can order redesigns, reinforcements, suspension of construction, or suspension of use.

Meanwhile, Safe Industrial is believed to have carried out unauthorized extensions to the east wing since July 2015. The illegally constructed 2.5-story mezzanine was used as a changing room and gym, attracting many people during break times. However, since it was not a legally designated break area, there were no proper evacuation routes or safety measures in place.

The recent disaster resulted in 14 deaths and injuries to a total of 74 people, including 25 seriously injured and 35 with minor injuries.

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