The apartments, scheduled for occupancy by January 12, will not be able to receive the necessary approvals, leaving prospective residents without a place to reside during the harsh winter. (Image courtesy of Gimpo Gochon Station Housing Cooperative)
GIMPO, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – The city of Gimpo in Gyeonggi Province has decided to take legal action against a construction company, Y Construction, and its supervisory team for violating building height restrictions near Gimpo Airport, causing delays in apartment occupancy.
The city announced on January 10 that it planned to file a complaint with the police against the construction company and the supervisory team for violating the Housing Act. City officials also intend to impose penalty points according to relevant laws, which would restrict the company’s future project bids.
The construction company began building an apartment complex in November 2020 in Singok-ri, Gochon-eup, a few kilometers away from Gimpo Airport. The project, consisting of eight buildings with a total of 399 units, breached the airport’s area height limits.
Initially, the Korea Airports Corporation had requested that the apartment buildings be constructed lower than 57.86 meters to ensure the safe operation of aircraft at Gimpo Airport. However, it was discovered that seven out of the eight buildings were built 63 to 69 centimeters taller than allowed.
Despite Gimpo setting height restrictions as a permit condition from the project approval stage in March 2020, the construction company and supervisory team falsely reported compliance in their 12 supervisory and completion reports.
As a result, the apartments, scheduled for occupancy by January 12, will not be able to receive the necessary approvals, leaving prospective residents without a place to reside during the harsh winter.
According to Gimpo city officials, three households were initially scheduled to move in on January 12, with 55 more households planning to move in by early March.
In response to the situation, the city also plans to strictly oversee the construction company’s implementation of compensation measures, such as penalties for breach of moving contracts and support for temporary accommodation costs.
The construction company has agreed to undertake corrective construction, including adjustments to the internal elevators, over the next two months to comply with the height restrictions.
A Gimpo city official stated, “It is impossible to approve occupancy with the current defects, as the Airport Facilities Act strictly mandates height regulations. We will prioritize correcting the issue and then proceed with the occupancy inspection, ensuring minimal harm to residents.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
