Approximately 30% of the entire population is elderly
Ministry of the Interior and Safety: "Concerns about accidents due to service suspension"
The operation of the elevators at Apartment A in Jung-gu, Incheon, which was completely suspended for over two weeks after failing the precision safety inspection conducted by the Korea Elevator Safety Agency, will soon resume. On the 20th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it plans to conditionally allow the operation of the elevators at Apartment A in Hang-dong 7-ga, Jung-gu, Incheon, which have been suspended since the 5th due to failure to install safety components.
On the morning of the 13th, a notice prohibiting elevator operation was posted at Apartment A in Jung-gu, Incheon. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety set three conditions: the apartment management must sign a contract stating that they will complete improvement measures such as installing safety components within two months, receive safety confirmation of the elevators from the Korea Elevator Safety Agency, and deploy safety management technicians on site. If these conditions are met, the elevators will be allowed to operate for two months.
The Ministry explained that this decision was made by applying the regulation that "the improvement period may be extended in case of disasters." In particular, the Ministry judged that the situation where many elderly residents of this apartment have to endure the heatwave in July and August while climbing stairs qualifies as a disaster. A Ministry official said, "In the ongoing heatwave, if an emergency occurs to elderly residents, missing the 'golden time' due to elevator suspension could cause greater harm." This conditional approval policy by the Ministry will apply to all apartment elevators nationwide that must install safety components by the end of August.
Concerns Raised That Response May Be Delayed in Emergency Situations
On the morning of the 13th, a resident in their 70s was moving down the stairs due to an elevator outage at an apartment in Hangdong 7-ga, Jung-gu, Incheon. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Apartment A, completed in 1990, consists of eight buildings each 15 stories high. The 24 elevators installed in this apartment recently failed the precision safety inspection by the Korea Elevator Safety Agency. To operate, safety components must be installed and the elevators must pass a re-inspection, so elevator operation is expected to resume no earlier than September.
There are 434 residents aged 65 or older in Apartment A, accounting for about 30% of the total 1,440 residents. This high proportion of elderly residents has raised significant concerns that response to emergencies such as health issues may be delayed. On the 12th, a woman in her 70s living on the 13th floor called for help from neighbors saying "I can't breathe," and 119 was called. However, due to the elevator being out of service, it took an hour for the rescue team to transfer her to the ambulance after arriving. The apartment was allowed to use the elevators in 2021 on the condition of installing safety devices, and in January of this year was required to make improvements within four months, but it is reported that these measures were not implemented.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
