[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu Establishes Dedicated Team Ahead of Serious Accident Punishment Act Enforcement, Secures Personnel and Budget; Completes Safety and Health Management System with District Mayor as Management Officer and Deputy Mayor as Safety Officer; Plans Education for Stakeholders This Month... Eunpyeong-gu Conducts Emergency Safety Inspections at Construction Sites and Public Facilities
...Jung-gu Inspects Major Construction Sites and Aged/Dangerous Buildings from 18th to 21st for Hazards, Safety Measures, and Quarantine Compliance... Songpa-gu, 16 Street Vendors at Saemaeul Traditional Market
Seongjanghyun, the mayor of Yongsan District, is inspecting the construction site inside the Yongsan History Museum.
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] In December 2018, Kim Yong-gyun, a non-regular worker from a subcontractor at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in Chungnam, died while inspecting transportation equipment. In the same month, the amendment to the Industrial Safety and Health Act (known as the Kim Yong-gyun Act), aimed at strengthening safety regulations in industrial sites, passed the National Assembly.
Despite the amendment, industrial accidents continued, leading to the enactment of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (effective January 26, 2021), which strengthens the legal responsibility of management officials and is set to be enforced on the 27th of this month.
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) established a Serious Accident Prevention Team and began full-scale operations from January 1 this year. This organizational restructuring was carried out to create a dedicated team to protect the lives and bodies of citizens and workers.
The newly established Serious Accident Prevention Team consists of five members, including safety managers and health managers, responsible for overseeing, managing, and responding to industrial and citizen disaster obligations.
The district has established a safety and health management system with roles clearly defined under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act, including ▲Management Responsibility (Mayor) ▲Safety and Health Management Responsibility (Deputy Mayor) ▲Overall Safety and Health Responsibility (Heads of business departments) ▲Management Responsibility (Department heads) ▲Supervisory Responsibility (Team leaders).
This month, an expanded executive meeting will conduct education on the purpose of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, safety and health obligations, and punishment requirements. The session will be broadcast live in real-time on the internal network for all employees to watch.
Additionally, to prepare plans for industrial accident prevention and safety and health education, the district is systematizing serious accident prevention tasks by investigating industrial accident statistics, management facilities, and construction project statuses over the past two years.
A district official emphasized, “Facilities subject to serious industrial accidents practically include all employees in divisions, departments, offices, and neighborhoods,” and added, “To establish a practical industrial accident prevention plan, on-site fact-finding must come first.”
Currently, there are 41 public-use facilities subject to serious citizen disasters in the area. The district will continue on-site inspections until early February to identify the status of serious industrial accident targets.
Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “We will do our utmost to complete a flawless prevention system so that safety awareness takes root in the community and no citizens suffer from serious accidents.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it will conduct emergency safety inspections targeting construction sites and public-use facilities following the recent collapse accident of a newly built apartment exterior wall in Gwangju.
The district plans to conduct focused safety inspections on 133 private construction sites by the 21st, working with external private experts. The goal is to proactively identify various risk factors.
From the 27th, special inspections will be conducted for 56 public-use facilities over a month. The inspection targets include frame construction sites with high disaster risk, traditional markets, large marts, cinemas, religious facilities, hospitals, and other multi-use facilities. Facilities subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, such as bridges, tunnels, office buildings, daycare centers, and buildings, are also included.
The district plans to focus on verifying concrete pouring, curing work, and compliance with safety management guidelines, which were identified as causes of the Gwangju exterior wall collapse accident.
Inspections will cover not only large construction sites but also medium and small sites. Minor issues found will be corrected on-site with immediate improvement requests. If serious violations are confirmed, strong administrative measures such as work stoppage will be enforced according to relevant laws.
On the 25th, the district will conduct special safety education for construction-related personnel in the area to prevent accidents caused by non-compliance with safety rules.
With the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act on the 27th, the district has established a dedicated Serious Accident Prevention Team. The plan is to build a safety and health management system and thoroughly prepare for serious accidents by fulfilling legal obligations and prevention measures.
Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung stated, “A tragic large-scale construction site collapse accident occurred at the beginning of the new year. Eunpyeong-gu has strengthened safety inspections and safety education to proactively prevent similar accidents. We will continue to prioritize residents' safety and do our best in safety management.”
Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) announced that it will conduct safety inspections targeting construction sites and old or hazardous buildings in preparation for the Lunar New Year holiday.
An official from the Jung-gu Architecture Department said, “To alleviate residents' anxiety following the recent collapse accident of a newly built apartment in Gwangju and to raise awareness of disasters and construction site safety ahead of the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act on the 27th, we decided to conduct a comprehensive inspection.”
From the 18th to the 21st, over four days, the district plans to focus inspections on 20 large construction sites with a total floor area of 10,000㎡ or more, three old or hazardous buildings, and the Sindang Nuri Center.
The district will form inspection teams composed of advisory committee members, experts in various fields, and district officials to conduct on-site inspections.
For construction sites, the teams will closely examine on-site hazards, the adequacy of safety measures such as earth retaining walls in excavation sites, fences, and protective screens, and verify compliance with COVID-19 quarantine rules. Supervisors and contractors will also participate in the inspections to thoroughly check safety management.
For old or hazardous buildings, inspections will cover ground subsidence, uneven settlement of buildings, cracks, detachment, and leaks in structural members. For the Sindang Nuri Center, detailed inspections will be conducted on structural safety and elevator safety.
Issues identified during inspections will be corrected immediately on-site as a principle. If immediate correction is difficult, the district will establish its own plan to address the issues and continuously monitor and manage them.
Jung-gu Mayor Seo Yang-ho said, “Even small defects at construction sites can lead to accidents. We will do our best to prevent disasters in advance through thorough inspections and continuous management to protect the precious lives and bodies of residents and workers.”
Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) announced on the 18th that it has significantly improved the pedestrian environment by converting fixed illegal street stalls around the 40-year-old Saemaeul Traditional Market into authorized street vendors.
Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “We undertook the creation of street vendor zones around Saemaeul Traditional Market to protect both the pedestrian environment and the livelihood rights of street vendors,” adding, “After actively communicating over the past two years, we achieved good results without conflicts with street vendors.”
Currently, Seoul City's fixed street stall policy is transitioning from complete removal to a street vendor permit system. This approach aims for coexistence and mutual benefit by improving the pedestrian environment and protecting the livelihood rights of street stall operators.
Accordingly, the district established a comprehensive countermeasure for street stalls around Saemaeul Market in March 2020 and began creating street vendor zones. They conducted numerous meetings with stakeholders, including status surveys, forming representative groups, and individual interviews with street vendors to coordinate opinions.
They also held meetings with local residents and the Saemaeul Market Merchants Association to explain the district's position and actively promote the necessity of creating street vendor zones.
As a result, in November last year, 22 of the existing 31 street stalls that agreed to removal were dismantled. Of these, excluding six that voluntarily closed, 16 were reborn as street vendor zones. In January this year, road occupancy permits were completed, bringing them into the formal system.
The district plans to continue persuading the nine stalls that did not agree to removal and will accept applications for street vendor zones again in the first half of the year.
The ‘street vendor permit system’ converts street stalls into street vendor zones, allowing legal operation. Operators who meet the conditions can apply for road occupancy permits, receive certificates under the Road Act, and pay road occupancy fees.
Saemaeul Market street vendor zones allow operation only by the operator and their spouse. The district plans to strictly manage the zones to prevent sales or subleasing. Since many operators are currently elderly, aged 70 to 80, if they give up or stop business in the future, the district will remove the street vendor zones to induce natural reduction.
Starting from the 24th, Sadang Central Church Building to begin operations at Sadang 3-dong Temporary Office
Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) announced on the 18th that due to the planned demolition for the construction of the new Sadang 3-dong Community Center, it will relocate to a temporary office and begin operations from the 24th.
To build a new office on the existing site, the temporary office will be split and relocated to Sadang Central Church (31 Sadang-ro 17-gil) and Seongsin Building (21 Sadang-ro 17-gil), operating until the new building is completed at the end of November 2023.
The temporary office is located about a three-minute walk from the current Sadang 3-dong Community Center (86 Sadang-ro 17-gil) toward the Sadang 3 Police Substation.
Accordingly, ▲Administrative tasks including integrated civil affairs and resident welfare counters, counseling rooms, and the Residents' Autonomy Committee Secretariat will be located on the 1st and 3rd floors of Sadang Central Church, and ▲the Reserve Forces Battalion Headquarters will be on the 2nd floor of Seongsin Building. Residents wishing to visit should go accordingly.
The relocation will take place over the weekend after work ends on the 22nd, with normal operations resuming from the 24th.
Since 1991, the Sadang 3-dong Community Center has performed administrative tasks for administrative demand and residents' culture and welfare for 31 years. However, the facility has aged and is insufficient to meet increasing administrative demands, so the need for a new building has been steadily raised.
After gathering residents' opinions, the district decided to build a new community center, began demolition of the existing building upon relocation to the temporary office, and plans to start construction in March.
The new Sadang 3-dong Community Center will be rebuilt on the existing site with a total floor area of 1,800㎡, consisting of one basement and five above-ground floors, serving as a hub for the local community, scheduled to reopen in November 2023.
Dongjak-gu Mayor Lee Chang-woo said, “We will minimize confusion for visitors during the temporary office relocation and handle tasks carefully to avoid inconvenience to residents,” adding, “We will also do our best to ensure construction safety management until the new building is completed so that residents can enjoy comfortable and diverse administrative services.”
Since the end of 2018, with the opening of the Seoripul Tunnel, the district began expanding Sadang-ro to accommodate traffic volume, widening the 618m section from the old Beomjin Passenger near Namseong Station to the entrance of Solbat-ro from four lanes to six lanes, improving traffic flow for residents' commutes.
Escalators have been installed at exits 1 and 2 of Namseong Station, and elevator installation work outside the subway station is underway, creating a safe environment considerate of transportation-vulnerable groups. The Sadang-ro expansion is in its final stages and is expected to be completed by April.
Guro-gu (Mayor Lee Sung) installed 116 customized ‘Guro-type Smart Poles’ considering the characteristics of each area.
The ‘Guro-type Smart Pole’ integrates various functions such as streetlights, security lights, CCTV, and communication poles into a single post, providing features like crime prevention, traffic safety, illegal dumping prevention, and Wi-Fi.
Guro-gu analyzed the geographical and demographic characteristics of installation sites and installed four types of customized smart poles.
The ‘Streetlight Smart Pole’ was installed at 34 locations mainly on major roads and intersections with high traffic and floating populations. It integrates intelligent CCTV functions, Wi-Fi, and LoRa network functions by combining ICT technology with streetlight poles, improving urban landscapes and resident convenience.
The ‘CCTV Smart Pole’ was installed at 61 locations mainly in residential areas and side streets, focusing on Guro-dong and Gaebong-dong to strengthen public safety networks. Installation sites were selected in cooperation with Guro Police Station, focusing on areas with frequent 112 emergency calls and women’s safe return paths. These poles are equipped with intelligent CCTV, IoT LED security lights, illegal dumping deterrent cameras, emergency bells, and logo projectors for crime prevention and response.
The ‘Integrated Safety Smart Pole’ was installed with 18 units in school zones to enhance safety on school routes. It includes traffic signs, illegal parking enforcement, security CCTV functions, LED electronic displays showing vehicle speed and safety messages, and IP emergency bells. Pedestrian signal voice guidance devices are also installed, issuing warning sounds if pedestrians cross the stop line during red signals. When a ‘Smombie Prevention’ app is installed on smartphones, a ‘Caution: Using Smartphone While Walking’ message appears when crossing the street.
Three ‘Multifunctional Integrated Smart Poles’ were installed along Anyangcheon. These poles protect the safety of local residents using the Guro Olle Trail and Anyangcheon scenic sections and provide smart city services such as fine dust disaster alert displays and public Wi-Fi.
Thus, Guro-gu has been building and operating Guro-type Smart Poles at a total of 153 locations since starting with three CCTV smart poles in 2019, including five streetlight smart poles, 27 CCTV smart poles, and two integrated safety smart poles in 2020.
A Guro-gu official said, “‘Guro-type Smart Poles’ were installed after detailed analysis and on-site surveys of the respective areas,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to maximize residents’ safety and convenience by utilizing smart technology.”
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is strengthening pedestrian safety around crosswalks in the district.
Last year, the district invested about 860 million KRW to install LED floor signal lights, pedestrian signal voice guidance devices, and LED road markers, making crosswalk locations more visible and significantly enhancing pedestrian safety.
LED floor signal lights (56 units at 28 locations) and pedestrian signal voice guidance devices (52 units at 26 locations) were installed on major school routes and crosswalks with high pedestrian traffic, such as in front of Euncheon, Shinwoo, Miseong, and Sadang Elementary Schools, improving the walking environment for children and receiving positive responses from residents.
The LED floor signal lights and voice guidance devices, linked with existing traffic signals on both sides of crosswalk sidewalks, provide additional signal information to drivers and pedestrians, contributing to enhanced pedestrian safety and traffic accident prevention.
Additionally, 1,100 solar-powered LED road markers were installed along the center lines and crosswalks of five road sections, including Nakseongdae-ro.
Unlike conventional road markers that require vehicle headlights to reflect light for visibility, the solar-powered LED road markers store solar energy during the day and emit light at night or during rain, functioning as solar-charged luminous facilities.
The LED road markers installed on the ground along the center lines of two-lane roads and both sides of crosswalks without signals emit light from the ground at night, enabling drivers to recognize crosswalks and pedestrians from a distance and slow down, greatly aiding pedestrian safety.
Furthermore, the district invested 650 million KRW to install 23 traffic enforcement cameras at 23 elementary school crosswalks to monitor speeding and signal violations, improving pedestrian environments around schools.
A district official said, “This year, we will continue to do our best to create a safer pedestrian environment by installing and improving traffic safety facilities, including floor-type pedestrian signals, to prevent pedestrian accidents.”
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