Another Leak at Gwangsan Community Center 'Tax-Eating Hippo'

Flooding Big and Small Every Monsoon Season

Raindrops Dripping from the Ceiling of the 3rd Floor Auditorium

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"Demolition and Reconstruction" Opinion Also Raised

Another leak has occurred at the Gwangsan District Community Center in Gwangju Metropolitan City, and repair work is currently underway.

Voices are calling for fundamental measures to be taken instead of repeatedly applying temporary fixes that waste public funds.

Gwangsan-gu Community Center located in Sochon-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.
Photo by Jin-Hyung Park

According to Gwangsan District on the 6th, repair work is in full swing to prevent rainwater accumulated on the rooftop and stairwell tower of the Gwangsan District Community Center from seeping into the building interior.

The work includes waterproofing the rooftop and stairwell tower floors, as well as connecting rainwater pipes and burying collection wells.

The project, which costs 18.45 million KRW from the district budget, is expected to be completed within this month.

During the heavy rain this summer, rainwater on the rooftop flowed into the third floor, causing water to drip from the ceiling and resulting in various damages.

This place usually hosts classes such as yoga and singing, and until now, they have been enduring by catching the dripping water in basins.

This is not the first time leak damage has occurred.

In April, defects such as water leakage from the water pipes were discovered, and a repair project was carried out with a budget of 1.3 million KRW.

In August 2020, due to heavy rain, the basement first floor, which houses exercise and sports facilities, was flooded. The water reportedly rose to adult knee height.

Ventilation is poor, so the area is humid and has a musty smell, with mold growing in various places.

Even now, during the rainy season, groundwater seeps through cracks in the floor, preventing normal operation, and the basement remains closed.

The full-scale repair work targeting the basement first floor is estimated to require a budget of 500 million KRW.

Han Yoon-hee, a member of the Gwangsan District Council, said, "Due to the aging of the building, repair and maintenance costs are expected to increase steadily," and suggested, "In-depth discussions are needed on the possibility of demolition and reconstruction."

Councilor Han pointed out, "We need to find the exact cause of the leak first and estimate the costs accordingly. Planning to add an elevator to the building while failing to stop the water leakage could be an investment like 'pouring water into a bottomless jar.'"

A district official explained, "Next year, we plan to conduct a thorough diagnosis to identify the cause of the leak and seek solutions such as building utilization plans based on the results."

He added, "We currently estimate that the cause of the leak is cracks due to the building's age."

The Gwangsan District Community Center is an aging building that opened in 1984 and has been in use for 39 years. It has a total floor area of 2,122.82㎡, a building area of 569.59㎡, and consists of one basement floor and three above-ground floors, equipped with facilities such as a gallery and art shop.