Yoon orders probe into poorly-built apartment complexes

Underground parking lot at Byeollae First Fore in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo by Kim Ho-young]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday instructed Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong to look into the entire suspected cases of shoddy construction of underground parking lots at apartment complexes and to take immediate safety measures.

The instruction came after a study revealed that not enough reinforcing steel bars, or rebars, were used in building parking lots at a number of complexes.

The land ministry released the names of 15 apartment complexes where rebars were not properly installed, along with the names of the architects, construction companies, and supervising companies.

The release came after the ministry conducted safety checks on public apartments constructed by local builders under contracts with the state-run Korea Land Housing Corp. (LH). Among them, five were public offering complexes, and ten were public rental complexes.

By region, eight were in the Seoul area, including Byeollae First Fore in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and Diacrion Gangnam in Suseo, Seoul, and seven were in other provinces, including Sasong A-2 in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province and Seonwoon 2 A2 in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province.

Ten complexes had missing rebars due to design errors, and five due to construction errors. Five contractors were responsible for the missing rebars: SM Samhwan Corp., ISU Engineering & Construction (E&C) Co., Namyoung Engineering Construction Co., YANGWOO Engineering & Construction Co., and Ace Construction Co.

LH plans to carry out comprehensive reinforcement work on the complexes with subpar construction. Three complexes have already completed or are undergoing reinforcement, while nine others are scheduled for future reinforcement measures.

However, with five apartments already occupied and others currently under construction, there is expected to be significant backlash from the residents.

The land ministry plans to thoroughly investigate the cause of the substandard construction, keeping in mind that it may have stemmed from pervasive collusion in the construction industry.

“We will thoroughly investigate the responsibilities of LH employees who were in charge of design, construction, supervision, and ordering, and if necessary, take action against them,” Won said.