Gwanak-gu Strengthens Management of Aging and Hazardous Buildings

Increased Awareness Among Owners of Aging Houses on the Need for Self-Repair and Reinforcement for Safe Living Environments
Gwanakcheong Actively Utilized to Resolve Resident Complaints, Prevent Safety Accidents, and Improve Learning Environment at Nearby Sillim Elementary School, Achieving Two Benefits with One Effort

Before (left) and after (right) the retaining wall repair of the multi-family housing near Sinlim Elementary School

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is intensifying efforts to create a safe Gwanak by strengthening the management of aging and hazardous buildings and facilities this year as well.

As the severe cold of winter passes and the full-scale thawing season begins, the risk of accidents involving aging buildings and facilities is increasing. In response, the district is working hard to create safe construction sites by sending safety caution text messages during the thawing period to construction sites with high risk levels.

Additionally, Gwanak-gu is conducting on-site safety inspections of small-scale aging buildings and has expanded the number of construction experts at the Building Safety Center to two this year to actively resolve safety-related complaints.

Last year, the district resolved residents' inconvenience reports submitted to Gwanak Hearing (聽), achieving a twofold effect by preventing safety accidents and improving the learning environment at nearby Sillim Elementary School.

A multi-family housing complex located in Sillim-dong experienced accelerated damage to its retaining wall due to heavy rainfalls in 2022, posing safety risks not only to nearby residents but also to students of Sillim Elementary School.

In response, the district decided to provide emergency support to prevent safety accidents caused by the damaged retaining wall. Starting with an on-site inspection by the Building Safety Advisory Group, a detailed safety diagnosis was conducted to safely repair and reinforce the retaining wall of the adjacent multi-family housing, and an emergency temporary structure was installed on part of the school grounds.

Thanks to the district’s continuous efforts, the site was selected as the first project for repair and reinforcement of safety-vulnerable facilities by Seoul City in 2023. In November of last year, the temporary structure was dismantled and the retaining wall repair work was completed.

Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, stated, “We will actively promote awareness among owners, who are responsible for managing aging and hazardous buildings, about the necessity of repair and reinforcement work, encouraging voluntary interest. We will also do our best to create a safe Gwanak by thoroughly preventing accidents through proactive inspections and follow-up measures for safety-vulnerable facilities.”