"Luxury Apartment but No Air Conditioning" ... Residents Express Frustration

Situation Worsens Due to Glass Wall Exterior

On the 31st, Yonhap News reported that residents of a high-rise apartment in Songdo, marketed as a "luxury apartment," are experiencing significant discomfort amid the heatwave due to air conditioners not operating.

Songdo The Sharp Central Park I·II.

The apartment in question is Songdo The Sharp Central Park Phase 1. Since last month, the central air conditioning system has not been functioning properly due to corrosion in the cooling pipes. As a result, 175 out of the total 729 households have no air conditioning at all despite the hot weather. Other units are experiencing intermittent cooling.

This apartment gained attention in 2014 when actor Song Il-gook appeared on the KBS variety show "The Return of Superman," showing his life with his triplets. It has been regarded as a luxury apartment due to its location just a one-minute walk from Central Park, proximity to Incheon Line 1 Central Park Station and Incheon National University Station, and the concentration of local school districts nearby, including POSCO High School and Chadwick International School.

Its exterior is particularly striking, but the problem is that because of this design, outdoor units cannot be installed, making it difficult to install air conditioners in individual units. Most residents rely solely on the central cooling system, but some units have stopped operating. Furthermore, the building is constructed with a "glass curtain wall" style using glass on the exterior, allowing sunlight to pour into the interior without filtering. Around 5 p.m. the previous day, the indoor temperature in the high-rise units soared to 37-38 degrees Celsius.

This issue did not arise suddenly. The same problem has caused shutdowns and partial repairs repeatedly over the past 3 to 4 years. This year, some units reportedly stopped working entirely.

Among residents, complaints continue: "When we turn on the air conditioner, it immediately shuts off, and if forced to operate, it might cause a fire, so we don't use it at all," "At night, we have to place four fans and a cooling fan in the master bedroom just to barely get some sleep," and "Families with babies have no choice but to wander outside or stay in hotels," they said.

The residents' representative committee claims that the use of hot-dip galvanized steel pipes (white steel pipes), which are vulnerable to corrosion, as air conditioning piping caused this situation, and they are demanding countermeasures from the construction company, POSCO E&C. To restart the air conditioning, all corroded cooling towers and pipes must be replaced, which is estimated to cost over 10 billion won.

Oh Eun-kyung, chairperson of the residents' representative committee, stated, "Since Songdo was developed by reclaiming the sea, corrosion-resistant materials should have been used to prevent damage from saline (salt content), as specified in the apartment's usage approval conditions. However, upon investigation, it was found that the pipes did not have KS certification and that white steel pipes, which are vulnerable to corrosion, were used for the cooling pipes." She added, "The specifications state that copper, stainless steel, or white steel pipes can be used for cooling pipes, but only the cheaper material was used, leading to severe corrosion."

However, the construction company's stance differs. POSCO E&C claims that they used the proper materials specified in the specifications and that the defect repair period has ended. They also suggested that the incident might have occurred due to negligence in facility maintenance and repair by the apartment management. Nonetheless, they explained that they are considering providing technical support in light of residents' discomfort.