Ulsan Office of Education Achieves 87.8% Seismic Reinforcement Rate in School Facilities...Nation's Highest Level

Ulsan Office of Education.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Recently, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred off the east coast of Ulsan, and it has been reported that the seismic reinforcement rate of school facilities in Ulsan City has reached 90%, the highest level among city and provincial offices of education nationwide.

As of the end of last year, the average seismic reinforcement rate of school facilities across city and provincial offices of education nationwide was 60%, while Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education recorded 87.8%. Once the seismic reinforcement construction scheduled for this year is completed, the reinforcement rate will be 88.8%.

The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education plans to secure about 5.6 billion KRW through the main budget and the first supplementary budget this year to carry out seismic reinforcement construction on 15 buildings across 10 schools.

By the end of August, the education office confirmed that out of 616 buildings targeted for seismic reinforcement, 541 buildings have secured seismic performance.

Among the 75 school facilities requiring seismic reinforcement, excluding schools planned for relocation or new construction and those undergoing seismic reinforcement concurrently with the Green Smart Future School project, the pure seismic reinforcement project targets 36 school buildings.

Since the Gyeongju earthquake, the city education office has prioritized student safety by securing the seismic reinforcement budget first and plans to complete seismic reinforcement by 2024.

Along with seismic reinforcement construction, the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education aims to create a safe school environment free of asbestos by completely removing asbestos from schools by 2024, three years ahead of the Ministry of Education’s 2027 plan.

Exterior wall dryvit finishing materials that emit toxic gases during fires will be replaced first in kindergartens, special schools, and dormitories, with all replacements scheduled to be completed by 2025.

An official from the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education stated, “We have established a school safety accident prevention plan and are promoting 13 tasks across five major areas this year. We will continue to provide students with a comfortable and safe educational environment through seismic reinforcement of school buildings and replacement of asbestos ceilings in preparation for earthquakes.”