News

Aug 22, 2023

(LEAD) Yoon vows to dismantle construction 'cartel' following faulty construction of underground parking lots

URL is copied. (ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks throughout) SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to eradicate "cartels" with vested interests in the construction industry on

URL is copied.

(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks throughout)

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to eradicate "cartels" with vested interests in the construction industry on Tuesday, citing them as a reason behind shoddy construction practices revealed at apartment underground parking lots.

Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting following revelations that not enough reinforcing rods were used in building underground parking lots at a number of apartment complexes across the country to cut costs and speed up construction.

"Cartels with vested interests that disregard people's safety must be smashed up," Yoon emphasized. The issue of cartels with corrupt forces has been a recurrent subject of concern for Yoon.

The land ministry found that 15 apartment complexes constructed by the state-run Korea Land & Housing Corp. did not use sufficient reinforcing rods in their underground parking lots. The discovery came after two upper structures of an underground parking lot under construction in Geomdan in the western city of Incheon collapsed in April due to a lack of reinforcing rods.

Yoon ordered relevant government agencies to conduct safety checks on all suspected cases and take immediate countermeasures to ensure the residents' safety.

"Our government is an anti-cartel government," Yoon reiterated, stressing that eliminating corrupt cartel forces is a prerequisite for achieving any kind of innovation and reform.

Yoon also clarified that all the problematic apartment complexes were designed and constructed before the current administration took office.

According to the ministry's findings, 15 public apartment complexes built after 2017 lack reinforcing bars, as it is judged to have become a common construction method since then President Moon Jae-in took office in 2017.

"Stringent administrative and judicial sanctions should be imposed on violating cases," Yoon said, urging the government to devise countermeasures to address the problematic practices in the construction industry.

Yoon also revisited the issue of a set of legal revisions aimed at protecting teachers' rights and enhancing their authority in classrooms.

"Without establishing teachers' rights, the human rights of other students and their learning rights can never be guaranteed," Yoon said.

He further urged the education ministry to develop a set of guidelines defining the scope of teachers' effective instruction and disciplinary actions in classrooms, with plans for implementation starting in the fall semester.

Yoon has instructed the authorities to devise comprehensive guidelines to address the erosion of teachers' rights, following the apparent suicide of a young elementary school teacher in Seoul last month.

Moreover, Yoon emphasized the need for a thorough investigation and appropriate strong punishment for heinous crimes, referring to a fatal stabbing rampage in Seoul last month.

Cho Seon, 33, was arrested after going on a stabbing spree near Sillim Station in southwestern Seoul on July 21. One man in his 20s was killed, and three others were wounded in the random attack.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office on Aug. 1, 2023. (Yonhap)

[email protected](END)