[News Terms] 'Hadogup Homingwan' Inspecting Delayed Payments at Construction Sites

A construction site in a provincial area.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The 'Subcontracting Ombudsman' is a Seoul city official appointed for a two-year term, responsible for on-site guidance and monitoring of unfair subcontracting practices in construction projects commissioned by Seoul City and its affiliated investment and foundation institutions, providing legal consultations for victimized companies, and requesting administrative actions.

Introduced in 2015 to detect and prevent illegal subcontracting secretly occurring at construction sites, the Subcontracting Ombudsman can also propose improvements to necessary systems based on their specialized legal knowledge.

Professionals qualified as lawyers, labor attorneys, or engineers are selected through open competition. Last month, one official retired upon term expiration, and currently, one Subcontracting Ombudsman is active. Additionally, 16 'Honorary Subcontracting Ombudsmen,' composed of lawyers, labor attorneys, civil and architectural engineers, and experienced personnel from construction companies and construction associations, support the activities of the Subcontracting Ombudsman.

Seoul City, centered on the Subcontracting Ombudsman, will conduct a special inspection from the 9th to the 18th ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday to check the status of delayed payments at construction sites. Twelve sites identified as vulnerable to payment delays among city-commissioned construction projects will be inspected.