[News Terms] What Is the First Gate of Reconstruction, the 'Safety Inspection'?

D·E Grades Required for Reconstruction Approval
Evaluation of 'Structural Safety' Key to Ensuring Safety

Seoul apartment complex / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Safety inspection, considered one of the 'three major regulations' in domestic housing reconstruction projects, is a system that evaluates the structural safety of buildings. Only buildings that receive a low grade in the safety inspection are eligible for reconstruction projects. In the past, safety inspections were conducted at the discretion of local governments, but during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, it was established as a national-level system.

The First Step in Reconstruction Projects

Under the current Housing Act, the allowable age for reconstruction is 30 years. However, reaching this age does not mean reconstruction can proceed immediately. Various assessments must be passed to prove the feasibility of the reconstruction project. The first hurdle among these is the safety inspection.

Sibeom Apartment, the oldest apartment in Yeouido, Seoul / Photo by Yonhap News

Buildings that undergo safety inspection are assigned grades based on their scores. A score of 55 or above out of 100 results in grades A to C, which do not permit reconstruction but only maintenance projects. Scores between 30 and 55 receive a D grade, which allows 'conditional reconstruction' at the discretion of each local government head. Scores below 30 receive an E grade, which is a 'reconstruction' judgment. In other words, housing intended for reconstruction must receive a grade of D or lower.

In the past, when housing regulations were underdeveloped, local governments had significant discretion over safety inspections. However, since the introduction of a national-level common safety inspection system in 2003 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, this system has continued to the present.

Structural Safety Assessment Directly Linked to Building Safety, Scoring Changes with Each Administration

So how does the current safety inspection specifically assess eligibility for reconstruction? It mainly evaluates ▲structural safety ▲residential environment ▲building finishing and aging ▲cost-benefit analysis.

Structural safety assesses the durability of the building, while the residential environment evaluates parking spaces, noise between floors, sunlight exposure, and more. Building finishing examines the aging of external and internal facilities such as roofs, exterior walls, and heating. Lastly, cost-benefit analysis compares repair and reconstruction costs to determine project feasibility. The weighting of each assessment category has fluctuated depending on the administration. In particular, the weighting of the 'structural safety' category, which is the most stringent and directly related to residential safety, has undergone significant changes.

Until 2006, structural safety accounted for 50% of the total score, making it the most important category. However, during the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2009, it decreased to 40%, and in 2015 under the Park Geun-hye administration, it was halved to 20%. This increased the relative importance of other categories such as residential environment and housing facility aging. Conversely, the Moon Jae-in administration raised the structural safety weighting back to 50% in 2018.