Gyeonggi Province is launching urgent inspections of construction sites lacking safety facilities and areas at risk of landslides as the region enters the full-fledged rainy season.
Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae recently instructed relevant departments to respond immediately after seeing media reports that a construction site in the province had left piles of soil unattended without waterproof sheeting, raising concerns of safety accidents, the province said Tuesday.
"Go to the site immediately and take safety measures," Choo said. "Inspect not only construction sites but all areas related to residents' safety, including areas at risk of heavy rain damage and facilities vulnerable to landslides." She added, "The safety reporting system must be activated so that any resident can easily file reports on safety issues."
The site in question is a park and neighborhood facility construction site in Yongin. The province requested on-site measures from Yongin, while instructing all 31 cities and counties to identify construction sites at risk of soil collapse in advance and conduct their own inspections.
The province is deploying 112 labor safety guards to intensively check the installation status of waterproof sheeting, whether drainage facilities are secured, and the management of slopes at construction sites. The Safety Management Office also plans to strengthen inspections focusing on areas at risk of landslides, existing heavy rain damage areas, and vulnerable facilities.
The province is also overhauling its resident reporting system. Residents who discover flooding risks, blocked drainage channels, soil runoff risks at construction sites, slope collapse concerns, and risks in building and civil engineering structures can file reports through the Safety Report website, mobile app, or the Gyeonggi Province safety prevention hotline.
Since February, the province has operated a "dedicated organization for preemptive disaster prevention measures against summer heavy rain." Its key management targets span eight areas, including semi-basement housing, underground parking lots of apartment complexes, underpasses, riverside pedestrian safety facilities, rain gutters, reservoirs, steep slopes, and campgrounds.
The province completed preliminary inspections by June, focusing on high-risk facilities based on flooding history, terrain conditions, and facility usage characteristics. Supplementary items identified on-site are shared with cities and counties, with the province continuously managing the status of measures taken.
