[Interview] Oh Seung-rok, Nowon District Mayor: "Priority on Rational Improvement of 'Safety Inspection Standards' for Reconstruction of Aging Apartments"

Among apartments subject to reconstruction safety inspections after 30 years, 39 complexes with about 59,000 households are the most in Seoul... All 23 apartment complexes in Nowon-gu are preparing for reconstruction including safety inspections... Sequential reconstruction preparations since 2017, but practically impossible to proceed due to strengthened safety inspection standards in March 2018, revision proposed... Research service to support reconstruction of aging apartment complexes starting April 2... Analysis of reconstruction safety inspection standards and basis for relaxation, preparation of safety inspection guidelines... Reconstruction possible

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “Since the ‘Reconstruction Safety Diagnosis Standards’ were strengthened in 2018, reconstruction has been virtually impossible under the current standards unless the building structure is vulnerable.”

In a recent interview with this paper, Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, stated, “Whether public or private, reconstruction requires passing the safety diagnosis standards, and the weighting score for structural stability is high in the itemized evaluation,” adding, “Since residential environments such as parking lots and water pipes are also important factors affecting residents’ quality of life, the safety diagnosis evaluation criteria need to be reasonably improved.”

The current safety diagnosis, the first gateway for reconstruction projects, consists of three stages. First is the on-site survey (preliminary safety diagnosis). If more than 10% of owners agree and apply to the district office, experts conduct an investigation. If a detailed diagnosis is deemed necessary, residents deposit the cost with the district office, which then commissions a precise safety diagnosis service. If a conditional reconstruction judgment is received, the project proceeds after a feasibility review by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

Nowon-gu is a planned city developed in the late 1980s under the government’s housing supply policy and is a representative area densely populated with aging apartments. There are 39 apartment complexes with about 59,000 households over 30 years old subject to reconstruction safety diagnosis, the largest number in Seoul. Among them, 13 LH apartment complexes in the Sanggye-dong area, with 28,000 households, have very poor residential environments due to weak fire safety and insulation, noise between floors, aging water pipes, and insufficient parking.

Currently, there are 23 apartment complexes in Nowon-gu pursuing reconstruction. Since 2017, safety diagnosis requests for reconstruction have been submitted to the district office, and five complexes, including Sanggye LH Complex 1, have passed the on-site survey. For 14 complexes such as LH Complex 2, on-site surveys are being conducted for two complexes each month from April, with plans to complete by October. However, due to the strengthened safety diagnosis standards, many difficulties are expected in actually promoting reconstruction.

The fastest progressing reconstruction site in Nowon-gu is Taereung Woosung Apartment in Gongneung-dong. It received a conditional reconstruction judgment from the precise safety diagnosis and is currently under review for feasibility, so reconstruction is expected to proceed immediately upon approval. The next fastest progressing site is Sanggye LH Complex 6, where a precise safety diagnosis is underway.

The district office proposed improvements to the current reconstruction safety diagnosis standards to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in March 2018 and August 2020, citing residents’ inconvenience due to parking shortages and aging facilities. Mayor Oh said, “The purpose of apartment reconstruction is not only structural safety but also residents’ comfortable living environment. However, the current standards do not reflect the significant decline in residents’ quality of life caused by parking shortages and aging water pipes and other facilities,” adding, “If the weighting scores for residential environment are increased and those for structural safety and building facilities are somewhat lowered in the itemized criteria based on structural stability, residential environment, building finishing facilities, and cost analysis, reasonable project promotion will be possible.”

Additionally, the district office began its own research project on April 2 to prepare a more systematic reconstruction support plan. The main contents include analysis and relaxation of reconstruction safety diagnosis standards, preparation of reconstruction guidelines, analysis of possible development scale, and feasibility review. Alongside this, an advisory group composed of experts in urban planning and architecture is being operated to ensure thorough execution of the project. By July this year, internal administrative support systems such as personnel adjustments and organizational structuring in related departments will also be improved to support reconstruction implementation.

The most recently completed reconstruction project in Nowon-gu is Sanggye LH Complex 8 (Forena Nowon), completed at the end of last year. ‘Forena Nowon’ consists of 13 buildings, 1,062 households, ranging from two basement floors to 30 above-ground floors. Sanggye LH Complex 5, newly designated as a reconstruction zone in March this year, is planned to have seven buildings with 996 households and 35 floors above ground. Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Changes in reconstruction safety diagnosis standards are infringing on residents’ right to happy living,” and emphasized, “Apartment reconstruction should be promoted in a reasonable direction to alleviate residential imbalance between Gangnam and Gangbuk and improve residents’ quality of life through better living environments.”