The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 21st that from the 22nd to the 30th, it will conduct special inspections of newly constructed apartment construction sites nationwide that are nearing completion, in cooperation with local governments and related agencies.
The purpose of this inspection is to minimize construction defects in newly built apartments and ensure construction quality to prevent damage to prospective residents. Recently, due to rising construction costs and shortages in construction materials and labor, numerous cases of poor workmanship, such as finishing defects, have occurred in apartments about to be occupied.
The inspection targets include 171 complexes scheduled for occupancy by October, focusing on sites where recent poor construction cases have occurred, as well as about 20 complexes built by the top 20 contractors with the highest number of defect judgments and the top 20 contractors with the most penalty points over the past five years.
The Ministry will conduct the inspections together with local governments, city/provincial quality inspection teams composed of experts in architectural structure and quality, and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, which operates the Defect Review and Dispute Mediation Committee. The inspection will focus on structural defects such as concrete cracks and leaks in common areas like inside units, corridors, stairwells, and underground parking lots, as well as the compliance of finishing work quality such as interior construction.
Minor defects or uncompleted work found during the inspection will be notified to the project owners and contractors to ensure they are addressed before occupancy. If violations of quality and safety management obligations under relevant laws such as the Construction Technology Promotion Act are detected during construction, the permitting authorities (local governments) plan to impose administrative sanctions such as penalty points or business suspension.
Kim Heon-jeong, Director of Housing Policy at the Ministry, stated, "There have been cases recently where construction was not completed or many defects were found during pre-occupancy visits to newly built apartments, causing damage to prospective residents. We will strive to minimize defects and improve construction quality through joint inspections with related agencies."
Meanwhile, the Ministry plans to steadily implement improvements to the pre-occupancy visit system by July. These improvements include mandatory completion of construction before the pre-occupancy visit and setting deadlines for defect repairs (within 180 days after occupancy). Additionally, if damage to residents due to poor construction continues, the Ministry will actively consider conducting additional inspections.
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