In the S Mansion in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a chunk of reinforced concrete fell from the ceiling of a 55-year-old APT. unit, prompting an emergency safety inspection that indicated a possibility of similar occurrences throughout the entire building.
According to Yongsan-gu on the 19th, the district conducted a safety inspection on the same day after the ceiling concrete fell in a unit on the third floor of Building A of the S Mansion in the early morning of the 16th.
The inspection results analyzed that the aging APT. had relatively thin slab rebar, which had corroded, likely causing the concrete chunk to fall from the ceiling. As the rebar corroded, its volume increased, which led to the concrete surrounding the rebar falling. It was also confirmed that concrete had partially fallen in other areas within the unit.
The structural engineer who participated in the inspection noted in a comprehensive opinion submitted to the district, 'It is highly likely that the same phenomenon will occur not only in the affected unit but throughout the building,' adding that 'A detailed safety inspection should be conducted soon to thoroughly investigate the risk factors.'
Earlier, at around 3:17 a.m. on the 16th, a piece of reinforced concrete fell from the ceiling in the living room of this APT. The chunk measured approximately 60 cm in length and 30 cm in width, with a weight of about 12 kg. There were no injuries, but the impact caused some damage to furniture, including the TV in the unit.
The S Mansion, where the incident occurred, is an APT. completed in 1970, consisting of two buildings of 5 to 6 stories with a total of 130 units. Although it is an aging APT., about 25% of the entire site area (20,860 m²) is owned by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), making redevelopment challenging. Yongsan-gu is promoting a redevelopment plan divided into the KEPCO district and the S Mansion district, aiming for a maximum height of 120 m and a scale of 508 units.
Residents of the S Mansion pointed to the aging of the building as well as the public parking lot installed by Yongsan-gu near the APT. last year as the cause of the incident. A resident living in the affected unit, Song (54), said, 'During the process of building the parking lot, the ground trembled so much that I thought there was an earthquake,' adding that 'stones have also fallen from the bathroom ceiling.' Song mentioned, 'The aging building seems to have been twisted due to the vibrations, making it difficult for the drawer under the kitchen sink to close properly.'
According to Yongsan-gu, Building A of the S Mansion has been assigned a safety grade of D and receives regular safety inspections three times a year. Yongsan-gu plans to hold a resident briefing session on the 20th to collect suggestions on-site and seek improvement measures.