Dongjak-gu, Spring Thaw Safety Measures Implementation

Challenge for 'Zero Safety Accidents' through disaster-vulnerable facility inspections, wildfire prevention, and creation of a pleasant environment by March 31

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Park Il-ha) has established a ‘Sector-specific Life Safety Measures’ plan to create a safe and pleasant living environment during the spring thaw period and will implement it until March 31.

During the thaw period, the melting of the frozen ground surface from winter increases the risk of safety accidents such as ground weakening and slope collapse.

Accordingly, the district has deployed 10 departments to focus on ▲inspection of disaster-vulnerable facilities ▲wildfire prevention ▲early resolution of residents’ inconveniences ▲creation of a pleasant urban environment.

First, self-inspections and joint inspections with external experts will be conducted targeting construction sites, retaining walls, steep slopes, and rockfall risk areas within the region.

Any parts found to pose a risk of safety accidents will be immediately addressed, and a joint patrol team of relevant departments and executives will be separately operated.

Additionally, a wildfire prevention task force has been established to develop comprehensive measures for wildfire prevention and organize wildfire suppression teams.

A phased response system is established to prepare for emergencies, and a cooperative system with related organizations such as the police and fire stations is also built.

To resolve residents’ inconveniences, road and traffic facilities will be maintained. Inspection targets include overpasses, bridges, major main and branch roads, manholes, and traffic convenience facilities.

In particular, the district will check for road subsidence caused by severe cold, corrosion or damage of facilities, and abnormalities in streetlights and security lights, then make improvements.

Furthermore, various facilities at 323 locations such as parks, rest areas, and walking trails will be managed, and 52 street tree routes will be inspected.

Along with this, street-side facility cleaning and repairs and spring cleaning by neighborhood will be conducted simultaneously to ensure residents can live in a pleasant environment.

Street trash bins and roadside rainwater drains will be inspected to remove accumulated winter trash, and campaigns to prevent illegal dumping will also be carried out.

The district plans to prevent safety accidents at vulnerable facilities and resolve residents’ inconveniences through regular patrols by neighborhood chiefs and planned patrols.

Park Il-ha, Mayor of Dongjak-gu, emphasized, “Since the cold wave has continued this year, the risk of safety accidents during the thaw period is greater than ever,” and added, “We will thoroughly conduct safety inspections of disaster-vulnerable facilities with residents’ safety as the top priority.”

Nowon-gu Aims for 'Zero Safety Accident City'

Nation’s First Demolition Work Guidelines Presented and Technical Guidance Before Construction

Demolition Work Stakeholders Receive ‘Pre-construction Safety Education’ for Practical On-site Safety Accident Response

Technical Guidance Education Led by Building Structure Experts Covering Demolition Plan Familiarization, Safety Inspection Points, and Accident Cases

Demolition Plan Guidelines and Additional Deployment of Building Safety Center Experts to Establish Accident-Free Safe Nowon

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will conduct safety education before the start of demolition work to prevent safety accidents during building demolition.

After the collapse accident at the demolition site in Hak-dong, Gwangju Metropolitan City, the district has produced and distributed the nation’s first ‘Building Demolition Plan Guidelines.’ The guidelines created by the district have been practically helpful to many small-scale demolition contractors. However, it is true that major issues such as non-compliance with wall joint spacing for temporary scaffolding fixation and lack of foundation installation for vertical scaffolding frequently occur during pre-construction site inspections.

Therefore, the district decided to provide practical safety education to demolition stakeholders before construction, strengthening responsibility awareness along with technical guidance. They realized that simply presenting demolition plan guidelines and obtaining signatures from site personnel had limitations in raising safety awareness.

The education, led by building structure experts from the Building Safety Center, focuses on ▲familiarization with demolition plan contents ▲roles and duties of building stakeholders ▲safety inspection points and accident cases related to temporary scaffolding, equipment, and demolition sequence ▲and relevant laws including penalties, providing concrete technical guidance for safety assurance.

The target audience includes site representatives and demolition supervisors at demolition permit sites, and if necessary for safety, the education will be extended to non-permit notification sites.

Education sessions are held every Wednesday at 10 a.m. and must be completed before receiving the demolition start notification certificate. Currently, sessions are held in the Building Safety Center meeting room, but a separate permanent education center will be pursued in preparation for large-scale demolition projects due to redevelopment and reconstruction projects.

Meanwhile, the district’s nation-first ‘Building Demolition Plan Guidelines’ include differentiated safety measures. Not only demolition permit sites but also notification sites are required to have on-site supervision, and the height of temporary structures for construction is raised from the existing 1.5 meters above the building structure to 3 meters.

Also, in 2019, the district proactively established the ‘Nowon-gu Building Safety Center’ to prevent construction site safety accidents, manage aging buildings, and handle disaster management such as earthquakes and fires. Going forward, additional experts (building structure engineers) will be deployed to strengthen preparedness for risks related to construction sites and various buildings.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Through safety education for demolition stakeholders, we will actively encourage responsibility to ensure safe construction sites,” and added, “We will continue to maintain vigilance on safety and do our best to build a zero-accident safe Nowon.”

Jongno-gu Conducts Joint ICTC Training for Disaster Response

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Moon-heon) conducted a joint disaster response training with Jongno Fire Station and Jongno Police Station at the Disaster Site Command Capability Enhancement Center (ICTC) at 2 p.m. on the 23rd.

The training used virtual reality simulation of recent disaster cases to allow participants to experience the entire disaster response process. The training focused on messages centered on actual unexpected situations to provide a more realistic experience.

Mayor Jeong Moon-heon said, “This was a time to check the response system during disasters and improve deficiencies through joint training with related organizations,” and added, “We will continue to conduct realistic disaster training to do our best to protect the lives and property of residents.”

Guro-gu Conducts Safety Inspections to Prevent Thaw Period Accidents

Targeting 81 road facilities, 389 park and green space facilities, 15 gas facilities, and 10 public parking lots

Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) announced that it will conduct safety inspections to prevent accidents during the thaw period caused by melting frozen ground in winter.

Earlier, Mayor Moon Heon-il instructed at the main executive meeting on the 13th to conduct safety inspections of vulnerable facilities during the thaw period and strengthen guidance and publicity for accident prevention.

Inspection targets include ▲road facilities ▲park and green space facilities ▲gas facilities ▲public parking lots, which are vulnerable facilities with potential for human injury and property damage. The responsible departments for each facility will establish safety management measures, conduct inspections, and take prompt action if necessary.

First, safety inspections will be conducted on 81 road facilities including bridges, underground passages, roads, pedestrian overpasses, tunnels, and road slopes by March 15.

Specifically, inspections will focus on cracks, leaks, corrosion of steel, safety status of railings, damage and destruction of retaining walls and stone walls, occurrence of cracks, possibility and signs of collapse due to thawing, and damage or sedimentation of drainage facilities.

Safety inspections and maintenance will also be conducted on parks, green areas, and forests closely related to residents’ lives.

A total of 389 locations including 92 parks, 83 street tree routes, 204 green areas, 5 forest areas, and 5 others will be visually inspected by April 2, and facilities requiring detailed inspection will be referred to experts.

Additionally, from February 20 to March 20, joint on-site inspections will be conducted with the Guro-gu Facilities Management Corporation targeting 10 public parking lots with 1,378 spaces.

Fifteen gas supply facilities including high-pressure gas, LPG, and city gas will be jointly inspected with related organizations such as the fire station and Korea Gas Safety Corporation by March 17.

A Guro-gu official said, “There is no such thing as being too prepared for safety,” and urged, “Since the risk of accidents during the thaw period is high, everyone should exercise special caution.”

Mapo-gu Conducts Comprehensive Inspection of Illegal Buildings...Safety is Top Priority

3,935 Sites Identified via Aerial Photography, Investigation from March to June

Mayor Park Gang-su: “Eradicate to Prevent Another Itaewon Tragedy”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) announced that it will conduct on-site inspections of 3,935 buildings suspected of illegal construction starting in March.

The investigation targets were selected based on the interpretation of aerial photographs taken by Seoul City last year. The target areas include 564 cases in Seogyo-dong, 359 in Seogang-dong, 346 in Mangwon 1-dong, 303 in Hapjeong-dong, and 222 in Yeonnam-dong. These areas, which are tourist spots or major commercial districts with high foot traffic, account for 46% of the total targets.

Due to concerns that illegal buildings could cause safety accidents or exacerbate casualties, Mapo-gu formed six on-site investigation teams to conduct thorough inspections from March to the end of June.

Key inspection items include ▲space expansions such as rooftop and terrace additions ▲business space expansions using prefabricated panels or tents, all of which are considered illegal if not reported or permitted under the Building Act.

If confirmed as illegal buildings, administrative actions such as prosecution, imposition of enforcement fines, and property rights restrictions can be taken according to relevant laws. If violations are recorded in the building register, restrictions may apply to ▲lease loans and ▲businesses requiring permits under the Sanitation Act.

Mapo-gu stated that since the purpose of the investigation is to prevent safety accidents caused by illegal buildings, sufficient guidance and administrative support will be provided first to encourage owners to voluntarily remove violations or obtain after-the-fact permits.

Additionally, notification letters about the aerial photo interpretation and on-site investigation will be mailed to building owners on the 22nd, warning that there have been cases of impersonation by officials demanding money during investigations and advising to always check the ID of investigation officials.

Mayor Park Gang-su said, “A heartbreaking incident like the Itaewon tragedy must never happen again,” and added, “We will eradicate illegal buildings that threaten safety and prioritize securing residents’ safety through thorough management.”

Dongdaemun-gu Removes Two Street Stalls near Jegi-dong Station

Two Street Stalls Removed on the Morning of the 23rd near Jegi-dong Station...Total of 30 Removed

Based on Street Stall Real-name System Survey Results, Continuous Maintenance Planned for Operator Changes and Long-term Unused Street Vendors

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) conducted maintenance activities targeting two street stalls near Jegi-dong Station on the morning of the 23rd.

The maintenance targets were one long-term unused street stall and one with an operator change, based on survey results.

The street stall with an operator change resumed business repeatedly despite receiving three warnings for violating the Road Act and was removed along with the long-term unused stall on the morning of the 23rd according to relevant laws.

The district installed flower pots at the removed illegal street stall sites to prevent re-occupation and strengthened patrols by enforcement teams to at least once daily.

Based on the street stall real-name system survey results, the district plans to continuously maintain street stalls with operator changes, long-term inactivity, or newly emerged stalls according to relevant laws.

Mayor Lee Pil-hyung said, “Since taking office, we have removed 30 street stalls and street vendors to fulfill our promise to make Cheongnyangni a walkable street, but we believe residents may still feel it is insufficient,” and added, “We will continue systematic maintenance of street vendors for a clean and safe Dongdaemun-gu.”