Students alarmed by Yonsei University dorm's crumbling ceilings and uneven floors

Uneven floors and crumbling ceilings at Yonsei University's dorm are making students concerned that the building may collapse, with the university planning to conduct inspections to ensure safety.

A photo shared on Yonsei University's Everytime on Saturday shows tiles at the Woojungwon's kitchenette lifting. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Crumbling ceilings and uneven floors at Yonsei University's dorm are making students concerned that the building may collapse, with the university planning to conduct inspections to ensure safety.

Concerns that Woojungwon, Yonsei University's dorm located in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, is showing signs of collapsing were shared on Saturday on Yonsei University's Everytime, an online community platform for university students.

Woojungwon is a building built by construction company Booyoung Group in 2014.

Online posts claimed floor tiles in the kitchenette, located on the building's basement floor, were lifting off the floor. With the tiles being uneven, the refrigerator on top of the tiles was also standing crooked.

A photo of uneven tiles at Woojungwon's kitchenette, shared on Yonsei University's Everytime [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Other posts claimed the walls in the shower room were bending slightly.

Seoul Seodaemun Fire Station's firefighters were also dispatched to the dorms on Sunday around 1:30 p.m. amid claims that there were signs of the building collapsing, such as concrete crumbling from the ceiling.

Firefighters inspected the dorm but did not find signs of the building collapsing.

"Currently, there are two tiles, spanning over an area that's 1.2 meters [3.93 feet] wide and 6 meters long, that are lifting at the basement floor of the Woojungwon," Yonsei University wrote in a statement released Sunday. "There were similar phenomena seen in other parts of the kitchenette in the past and those tiles have been replaced."

"It is difficult to fundamentally solve the problem by replacing some of the tiles as we're seeing the same phenomenon happening, and we are discussing plans to change all of the floor tiles in the kitchenette over the summer break."

The university also ensured students that it regularly conducts safety inspections.

According to the statement, its Office of Property Management annually conducts a safety inspection of the campus dorms through an external company. An inspection was conducted in 2023, with no problems found.

"However, we plan to discuss the matter with the Office of Property Management to conduct another detailed safety inspection soon to help students ease their concerns and ensure safety," read the university's statement.

The university's student council is being kept updated on the matter.

The student council created a Google Form survey where students can report any unusual signs they see and submit relevant photos. The Google Form can be accessed through the student council's social media channels.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]