Won Hee-ryong on LH Apartment with Missing Rebar: "Thorough Reinforcement... Contract Termination Penalty Waived"

"The Issue of Interest Cartels, Considered a War Against Crime"
Contract Termination Rights for LH Residents... Considering Moving Expense Support

On the 6th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited the reinforcement construction sites of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) apartments where rebar was missing and stated, "We will thoroughly prepare measures to prevent such situations from recurring."

In the afternoon, Minister Won visited the A15 block in Yangju Hoecheon and the A34 block in Paju Unjeong in Gyeonggi Province to inspect the reinforcement status and listen to the opinions of prospective residents.

At the site, Minister Won said, "We will fully support the costs of the reinforcement construction, and after the construction is completed, if the residents wish, we will have the safety inspection verified by a safety inspection company they select themselves."

He also emphasized, "As the head of the ministry, I feel very heavy and sorry for the safety issues that have occurred. If prospective residents have any needs, we will accept their anxieties and difficulties and do our best to respond and take responsibility for what happens."

On the 6th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited the construction site of A15 block in Yangju Hoecheon, Gyeonggi Province, to check the status of the underground parking lot reinforcement work. / Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

The Yangju Hoecheon A15 block (Happy Housing), where the flat slab structure was applied, is 93% complete and scheduled for occupancy in February next year. It was recently listed among apartments with missing rebar, and reinforcement construction is underway until the 10th of this month. It was found that reinforcement bars were missing from all 154 columns in the underground parking lot. The Paju Unjeong A34 block (Happy and Permanent Housing), which began occupancy in August last year, is also undergoing reinforcement construction due to missing rebar in 12 out of 331 columns in the underground parking lot where the flat slab method was applied.

Minister Won said, "Since safety measures are the most urgent, we will complete the reinforcement as quickly as possible," adding, "We will thoroughly reinforce and inspect according to standards certified by the Concrete Institute or internationally recognized criteria to ensure residents have no trace of anxiety."

He also expressed determination to eradicate the cartel issues in the construction sector. He said, "As the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, I am fully committed to tackling this issue head-on," and added, "I am approaching this as a war against crime. Unlike in the past, we will not treat this as a one-time event; we will hold accountable those responsible and pursue it to the end."

On the same day, specific compensation plans for residents and prospective residents of LH apartments with missing rebar were announced.

For rental apartments, LH will grant the right to cancel contracts regardless of occupancy and waive penalties. For households that have already paid deposits, the deposits will be refunded with interest. Moving expenses support is also being considered. Additionally, based on residents' income and other factors, options to prioritize moving into other rental housing if they wish to relocate will be reviewed.

For public sale apartments, contract cancellation rights will be granted if occupancy has not yet begun. Lee Han-jun, LH President, said, "Since each resident's situation is different, compensation plans should be prepared through sufficient discussions within the residents' association," and added, "LH is prepared to fully bear the consequences if court rulings come out, as premature compensation could be considered breach of trust."

Meanwhile, starting next week, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will conduct a full inspection of 293 private apartment complexes where flat slab structures have been applied to check safety. The inspection targets include 188 complexes completed since 2017 and 105 complexes currently under construction. The number of targets may increase.