In a newly built apartment and officetel in Michuhol District, Incheon, gall flies were discovered one after another, prompting residents and owners to protest against the construction company.
According to residents of an apartment and officetel in Michuhol District, Incheon, complaints about mold appearing on furniture and gall flies found in window frames have been ongoing since April.
The complex, consisting of over 900 units in the apartment and officetel, and a total of more than 1,800 units, began occupancy in January of this year.
As of now, there have been 144 complaints related to gall flies registered with the construction company, and 35 households have been counted as affected.
Some residents claimed that although gall flies were found since April, the construction company initially denied it was gall flies and only acknowledged it later.
A person surnamed A in her 50s, who delayed her move into the officetel, said, 'When I first filed a complaint in April, the construction company said, "It's not gall flies," and only later did they admit it and replaced the film behind the kitchen built-in furniture,' adding, 'Even after that, there were instances where over 50 carcasses of gall flies came out at once, indicating that the construction company's measures were merely temporary fixes.'
She continued, 'I received notification of pest control only recently, but considering the construction company's responses in the meantime, an apology from the person in charge should take priority,' and argued, 'If pest control is done without replacing the furniture, gall flies will inevitably reappear.'
There are households that hired pest control companies at their own expense. A resident surnamed B in her 40s, who moved in January, said, 'I spent over 500,000 won on pest control, but a large amount of mold, which is the food for gall flies, was found inside the built-in furniture.'
The construction company stated that gall flies had occurred in some households even after the film was replaced, and that they have been conducting two rounds of professional pest control targeting the households with complaints since this month.
A representative from the construction company said, 'We apologize for the inconvenience that some residents have experienced while it takes time to determine the cause of the gall flies,' adding, 'We have confirmed the effectiveness of removing gall flies through two rounds of pest control and are not considering replacing the furniture.'
Michuhol District Office requested the construction and project companies to submit related opinions in order to verify the facts after receiving the complaints about the defect.