Gwangju Dong-gu, Safety Inspection of Small Aged Buildings Over 40 Years

Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 19th that it will promote a 'visiting free safety inspection' to prevent accidents occurring in small-scale aging private buildings that have been built for over 40 years.

The safety inspection targets are aging private buildings over 40 years old (built after 1984) that are exempt from mandatory inspections, such as single-family houses, neighborhood living facilities of types 1 and 2 with three floors or less, and a total floor area under 200㎡. Buildings under regular inspection management according to relevant laws, such as apartment complexes, are excluded.

Dong-gu completed inspections of 472 buildings by last year, and plans to conduct safety inspections on 500 buildings this year until the budget is exhausted. The inspection will be conducted by architectural experts visiting the site to examine the requested buildings, listening to facility users' opinions, checking for cracks or deformations in major components, signs of uneven settlement, and the safety status of surrounding retaining walls, fences, and embankments.

Based on the safety inspection results, Dong-gu will assign a five-level rating from excellent to poor, and recommend repair work or detailed safety diagnosis to building owners who receive a deficient or poor rating.

Building owners or managers wishing to receive a safety inspection can submit an application form to the district office's Architecture Division or the local administrative center of their residence. The application form can be downloaded from the Dong-gu district office website, and for further details, inquiries can be made to the Architecture Safety Section of the Architecture Division.

Im Taek, the head of Dong-gu, said, "Small-scale aging private buildings are not subject to mandatory regular inspections, which may lead to neglect in facility safety management," and added, "We hope building owners will use this inspection to eliminate disaster vulnerabilities in advance and live safely without anxiety about accidents."