"Even if I'm anxious it might collapse, I can't leave"... 'Safety Blind Spot' in Aging Housing

[Financial News] "It has never collapsed, but when it rains, the house trembles slightly. I want to live in a safe house, but what can I do without money."
On the 17th, Mr. Lee (79), whom I met in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, where the outer wall collapse accident occurred, sighed as he spoke. At around 6:58 a.m. that day, the outer wall of an old house in Suyu-dong collapsed due to heavy rain, forcing 18 residents to evacuate urgently. As safety accidents such as outer wall collapses due to monsoon rains continue, concerns about the safety of aging houses are growing. Experts advised that it is necessary to strengthen the public support system as it is a problem directly related to citizen safety.
According to the 'Recent 3-Year Collapse and Topple (Crush) Structure Accident Statistics' by the National Fire Agency on the 20th, related accidents occurred △2432 cases in 2022 △4578 cases in 2023 △4169 cases in 2024. It increased by 71.4% in two years.
When I visited the collapse site in Suyu-dong on the day of the accident, one of the four sides of the house's outer wall was completely gone, allowing a clear view inside the house. A blue waterproof tarp was installed to prevent further collapse, and the collapsed house was located on high ground. The distance between houses was less than 2 meters, and the alley was about 1 meter wide, making it difficult for vehicles to enter. Due to the dense housing in the area, it was impossible to rule out the possibility of casualties in the event of a similar accident.
Nearby residents unanimously expressed anxiety about when such an accident might happen again. Resident Mr. Park (69) said, "I was worried because it rained so much at dawn, and then I heard a 'crash' sound," adding, "I think that was the sound when it collapsed." Another resident explained, "When I went outside around 8:30 a.m., the neighborhood was turned upside down," adding, "There were two ladder trucks and an ambulance, so I thought someone had died or a murder had occurred." According to residents, due to the characteristics of the neighborhood with many aging buildings, even if collapse accidents do not occur every year, rain leaks or water dripping inside the house for days after the rain has stopped have been occurring.
Similar accidents have occurred nationwide recently. On the evening of the 16th, a 10-meter-high retaining wall collapsed on the Suwon-bound overpass in Gasan-dong, Osan, Gyeonggi Province, covering a passing vehicle. Due to the sequential collapse of the retaining wall and structure in 9 seconds, a driver in his 40s was taken to the hospital and later passed away. In July last year, an old retaining wall collapsed in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.
Experts expressed concern that aging houses are particularly at risk of collapse due to heavy rain. Professor Park Chang-geun of the Department of Civil Engineering at Catholic Kwandong University analyzed, "Usually, if you pile up sand and then pour water on it, it tends to fall, and if a building becomes old, it may not withstand the pressure when it suddenly absorbs a lot of water, leading to collapse due to stress imbalance."
To prevent repeated collapse accidents, the active role of local governments was also ordered. Professor Ham Eun-gu of the Department of Safety Engineering at Eulji University advised, "Aging houses are inevitably subject to ground subsidence and backflow damage due to heavy rain," adding, "Although it is private property, it is necessary for local governments to strengthen safety evaluations in advance and conduct departmental diagnoses."



jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yun Reporter