Residents of Songdo Apartment Demand Safety Audit and Reconstruction Following Terrace Collapse

▲ Songdo apartment where an exterior terrace collapsed

Residents of a newly built apartment complex in Songdo International City, Incheon, where an exterior terrace collapsed just one year and six months after completion, demanded a precise safety diagnosis and reconstruction from the construction company today (August 13).

The emergency preparedness committee of residents at Songdo Apartment A released a press release today, stating, "Similar terraces are designed on multiple floors from the 2nd to 5th floors, which could have led to a major loss of life." They asserted, "What is needed is not a simple restoration, but a verification of the entire complex."

Furthermore, the committee demanded, "For households wishing to move out due to threats to their right to survival, the builder must fully refund the purchase price and immediately pay relocation expenses and compensation for damages." They added, "For households wishing to continue living here, all exterior walls and terrace structures must be completely demolished and fully reconstructed."

According to the committee, the construction company explained at a residents' meeting on the 10th that "there were construction issues, such as a shortage of reinforcing bars compared to standards and an insufficient amount of chemical anchor adhesive injected into the accident site."

The committee stated, "This incident is not a simple detachment of finishing materials, but a foreseen disaster and potential serious accident created by the builder's deception, blinded by cost-cutting." They warned, "If they try to brush off the situation with makeshift measures, the residents of the 1,114 households will mobilize all means to expose the true face of the major conglomerate's hypocritical ESG (environmental, social, and governance) management to the end."

At the apartment complex, which was completed in February of last year, the exterior terrace and lower exterior materials of a certain household fell to the ground at 6:02 AM on the 7th.

The household where the terrace accident occurred had been sold but was vacant as no one had moved in yet, meaning there were fortunately no casualties.

(Photo provided by reader, Yonhap News)

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