Resident A: "Management Office, No Response at All"
An accident occurred in an apartment in Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the ceiling collapsed due to a sprinkler leak. Photo by Online Community Capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] An accident occurred in an apartment in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the ceiling collapsed due to a sprinkler pipe leak. Although there were no casualties, a resident of the apartment expressed frustration, saying, "the apartment management has not taken any action."
On the 21st, a post titled "My house was flooded due to a sprinkler leak" was uploaded on an online community mainly used by residents of Goyang-si.
The author, Mr. A, who stated that he lives on the 20th floor of an apartment in Deogyang-gu, recounted the situation: "Around 1 p.m. last Sunday (the 19th), suddenly there was a 'bang' sound followed by a loud siren, so I ran to the first floor holding my crying baby. Just before leaving with the baby, the ceiling above the master bedroom bed where the baby was taking a nap collapsed. The baby who was sleeping could have been seriously injured."
After leaving the baby with someone else and returning to the house, Mr. A described the scene as devastating. He said, "The master bedroom ceiling had collapsed, and the entire house was filled with water up to ankle level. Baby toys and belongings were floating around, and furniture, the master bedroom wardrobe, dressing table, refrigerator, and even the baby's room were full of water. Since there was no response from the security office, my husband called 119 out of fear, and the dispatched firefighters helped carry out the water."
Mr. A claimed that despite explaining the situation to the security office and management office, no action was taken. He expressed frustration, saying, "The cause is said to be a sprinkler pipe leak, but the insurance company said they can only come on Thursday (the 23rd) due to the Chuseok holiday, and the building manager said there is nothing they can do now and told us to manage on our own. We are spending Chuseok sighing endlessly."
The apartment complex is known to have been completed in 1995, and Mr. A reported that there were about 40 leak reports in the complex on the day of the accident.
As this news spread, citizens expressed sympathy. Netizens reacted with comments such as "What a disaster during Chuseok," "It's a huge relief no one was hurt," and "The house is in that condition, yet they talk about Chuseok holidays."
Some netizens pointed to the apartment's aging issues and poor interior construction as causes of the accident. On the other hand, some believe the accident was caused by a pipe leak, not a structural problem with the building, which led to the ceiling finishing materials collapsing.
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