In 2015, the apartment complex in Cheongju was priced higher than the market value of the area at that time. Last September, Ms. Song Young-joo moved into the apartment, and she mentioned that she had something to show us. When she pulled out a drawer from her closet, something noticeable caught our eye: mold on the corner of the drawer. Upon inspecting the closet further, we discovered even more mold. Ms. Song expressed her disbelief, saying it was only a few months since she moved in, and now there was mold. She had only stored clothes in the closet, and now it was covered in mold. We are quite taken aback. Mold began to appear throughout the house just six months after moving into the new apartment. The clothes stored in the closet were so infested with mold that they were beyond salvage. She intended to throw them away, along with the bags and other items that were also affected.

곰팡이가 났거든요. 안에까지 곰팡이가 나서 안에 있는 옷도 다 빠르게 변해버렸어요. 지금 어제부터 아무리 닭가 내도 또다시 곰팡이가 피는 바람에 결국 아끼던 옷들을 버려야 할 지경이에요. 이제 전에 살던 집은 오래된 집인데도 곰팡이가 한 번도 안 났거든요. 그런데 여기 새 아파트인데 몇 달 만에 겨울이 다 지나가기 전에 이렇게 곰팡이가 나버렸어요. 여름에는 또 습해서 곰팡이가 날 테고, 겨울에는 습도가 안 맞는다고 해서 또 곰팡이가 나고. 그럼 이건 무슨 곰팡이인지 모르겠어요. 지난 2월 촬영 당시 건조한 겨울인데도 방 안 습도가 무려 60%였어요. 영주 씨는 무엇보다 세 살 배기 아이의 건강이 걱정입니다. 곰팡이로 뒤덮인 옷장 옆에 아이의 침대가 있기 때문입니다. 곧바로 건설사에 하자 신고를 했다는 영주 씨.

However, the construction company only said that they have completed the occupancy. They keep repeating the same words like a parrot, saying to just live here. But in the freezing winter, they say we should ventilate every single day. Here, I can't even open the windows to ventilate, and if I take off my clothes, I can't ventilate either. Do they even do that themselves? The problem is not just this. They said that only six months after moving in, condensation appeared on the front door, which has become a big concern. The value of the house is likely to drop, and we are worried too. We moved in here after spending a lot of money. And they say there’s mold growing. I wonder what everyone thinks about that. It’s hard to express in words. Hello, I met another resident. Park Jeong-soon is complaining that the new apartment is too cold. When the wind comes through the window, the gas bill goes up. So, I...

It takes about one or two hours. The cold wind is particularly strong in the master bedroom, as it is the place most affected by the draft. Cold air is seeping in through the window frame, so I usually have to keep the blinds down. I've also blocked the gaps in the windows with towels because a lot of wind comes in. By wedging the towel in, it helps with the draft and condensation as well. Since I started doing this, I noticed that water doesn't form in the morning. The temperature definitely rises, and condensation isn't just an issue in the master bedroom. In the large living room window, droplets form every day. As the condensation phenomenon continued, Park Jeong-soon's dissatisfaction with the new house grew. She firmly believed that there was a defect in the window. To observe how severe the draft was, she even placed a candle on the window frame.

박정 씨는 건설사에 하자를 입증할 방법을 고민했다. 팡이는 괜찮다고 했고, 팡이의 가속을 열어 놓으니까 곰파 필카가 미리 문을 열어 놓는 거라고 했다. 아침에 눈 뜨자마자 제일 먼저 확인하고 문을 열어 놓고, 뒤에 빼다 문을 열어 놓고 그게 전부라고 했다. 하루 종일 열어 놓고 나왔다고 하니, 스트레스를 엄청 많이 받았던 것 같다. 그러니까 저한테 관리를 잘못했다는 거지. 다 저희한테 한 얘기가 그거예요. 지금 공사 차장의 공식 입장은 이렇습니다. 결론은 생활 습관의 문제니까 당신들이 생활하는 방식이 문제라는 겁니다. 겨울에 어떻게 문을 열어 놓고 살 수 있냐고 하니, 그런 말도 안 되는 이야기를 하고 있는 거예요. 저희도 인정하는 것은 뭐냐면, 바깥 창이 이중 구조라는 것입니다. 그러면 바깥에 있는 외창 내부가 스키가 되어 있다는 것을 저희도 이해하고 있습니다. 그런데 이건 안쪽 창에 물이...

Drops are falling; this is not condensation, but a defect. However, they refuse to acknowledge it. There is also another serious issue: significant noise. The apartment is adjacent to a large rock, and part of the soundproofing wall has not been constructed, leaving it open, which causes noise disturbances. The current noise standards in our country state that during peak hours, measurements should be below 65 decibels. We measured the noise levels around 5 PM, not during the busy commuting hours, and found that it consistently exceeded 65 decibels over the course of an hour. During a preliminary inspection last August, residents reported as many as 3,000 to 4,000 defects, which sparked a major controversy. The construction company had promised to completely address the defects. However, residents claim that the construction company has not kept its promise. Recently, mold has appeared in our home.

I'm currently in a dilemma. My wife and I are really contemplating whether to unpack or not. I'm very curious about how the guidance is going. The biggest stress in my life right now is the house. Everyone's wondering why we even moved into this new place given the situation. How could the completion approval have been granted? The fact that the local government issued a completion approval after reviewing the report submitted by the supervising company means that there are no significant defects in the apartment. We have obtained the supervision report for the apartment, and it records that all items received a suitable rating. Even the minor issues we confirmed ourselves received a suitable rating. Why is it that there are no unsuitable items among the 3,000 defect reports? I spoke with the person in charge. So we...

We have been making efforts for a month, and then we decided to address those issues quickly with the construction company. If they respond promptly, there shouldn't be any problems. However, since they have been somewhat passive in dealing with these issues, the construction company has failed to manage the aftercare properly, which has exacerbated the problems. We have already conducted inspections at one site, and there are two more sites remaining. We will prepare thoroughly for them. Right now, we can't even talk about it. We are conducting inspections once a month, and if there are any issues, we will not approve the completion. Recently, we also visited the local government that granted the completion approval for the respective apartment. From what I observed, it didn't seem to be that serious. If the situation was truly alarming as some have suggested, then it would be right not to grant completion approval. However, in construction projects, there are inevitably some manual processes involved.

As I was doing it, it seems that some defects are occurring. When construction is not fully completed, it shouldn't pass the completion approval. In fact, for apartment completions, we usually check the opinions of the supervisor, various certificates, and other documents. We also conduct sampling for completion and look at several units. I think we looked at about six units at that time. I remember that we approved it after checking those six units. There was a lot of dissatisfaction among the residents, and I wonder if the local government was too passive in their on-site investigation. For apartments like this, we don't conduct all the investigations ourselves. Originally, when the documents arrive, we assess any anomalies based on those documents, and typically, we rely on the on-site conditions.

Because the supervision was present, they are taking responsibility for everything here. It's similar to deciding whether to approve the completion based only on documents. The more lax the supervision by the inspectors and local governments towards construction companies, the greater the suffering of the residents will inevitably become. In addition to the apartments in Busan and Cheongju, there have been ongoing controversies regarding defects in the apartments of Company A in various locations. We heard the construction company's stance on the repeated allegations of poor construction. Ultimately, is it really a house where one feels a threat to safety upon moving in? I'm not sure. We don't actually see that happening a lot. It's clear that not all units are like that compared to the total number supplied. It is evident that only a few units are experiencing these issues. If all units had such defects, that would indeed be a serious problem. However, these issues are being highlighted and sensationalized by the media, leading to a growing perception of the situation.

The issue has been abandoned, but the controversy surrounding the defects remains. This year, a construction company plans to sell an astonishing 13,000 apartments. However, we have discovered the secret behind how this construction company can supply such a large number of apartments. According to the documents obtained by the production team, the construction company had a total of 43 affiliates back in 2014. From 2010 to 2014, it applied for bids on a total of one plot and successfully secured 24 plots. The report indicates that most of the companies that applied for the winning plot were affiliates of the construction company. They mobilized all their affiliates to increase their chances. In fact, there were instances where all 29 companies that participated in the bidding were affiliates. As a result, the construction company's construction capability ranking soared from 143rd to 22nd, a remarkable increase of over 100 places. In 2015, the company joined the 1 Trillion Club, which refers to ultra-high-performing companies with a net profit exceeding 1 trillion won.

What do they think about the criticism that construction companies prioritize their own profits? A lot of things are distorted and misreported, so from our perspective, all the hard work we've put in is overshadowed. Instead, we are labeled as irresponsible companies or associated with shoddy work, which is incredibly frustrating. We met a whistleblower who understands the reasons behind the increase in poorly constructed apartments. Mr. Moon Su-han was once the head of a successful construction company with assets worth about 5 billion won. However, now all he has left are old, rusty container boxes and broken-down equipment. Three years ago, he sold off the remaining construction materials and equipment to finish his last project and left the construction industry. Since then, Mr. Moon has been living alone in a small container. He told us that he is facing punishment.

받더라도 고백하고 싶은 이야기가 있다고 했습니다. 이렇게 컨테이너에서 지금 생활하신 지 얼마나 됐어요? 그렇게 한 몇 년 됐죠? 저 이사하고 이거 빼고 어디 갈 데가 없지 않습니까? 회사가 급격히 기운 건 2011년, 한 대기업 건설사로부터 공공임대 아파트 공사를 수주받은 이후였습니다. 그건 골조 자가 하고 대형 빌딩 공사하는데 골조만 하는 회사입니다. 잘 나갈 때 한 70억에 한 100억을 합니다. 그런데 설정마다 돈이 엄청 많이 없어지는 겁니다. 주택 공사를 하게 되면 미치지 않는데 왜 이렇게 미치지 않냐 한 번만 더 해 보라, 한 번만 더 해 보라 이런 식으로 해서 한 번만 더 해 본 것이에요. 그래서 이렇게 망했고, 이상하게도 공사를 진행하면 할수록 회사는 적절했습니다. 그는 뒤늦게 자제 때문이었다는 사실을 알게 됐다고 합니다. 원청이 문씨 회사에 3만여.

The materials were supposed to be delivered in large quantities, but only about ten thousand were given, indicating that they were siphoning off supplies. Moreover, the main contractor demanded work that Mr. Moon was not qualified to perform. He was assigned large-scale insulation work for an apartment complex, which required a specialized certification, as well as plastering work. For civil engineering projects, the law states that only those with the appropriate qualifications can be assigned specific tasks: civil engineering work should be done by those with civil engineering licenses, plastering work by those with plastering licenses, and painting work by licensed painters. Originally, since the teacher does not have a license, he should not have been doing this work. However, he felt he had no choice; if he didn't comply, they would cancel the scheduled announcement for the next day. He had already prepared everything for that announcement. They said, If you don’t do it, we will cancel the announcement tomorrow, and this month he needed to receive 100 units, but if they only gave him about 70 units, he would be short by 30 units.

그룩을 넣어야 하잖아요. 돈을 이렇게 계속 고통을 주니까 갑의 말을 안 따를 수가 없습니다. 우리가 문씨가 문현화 시공을 했다는 아파트를 찾아가 봤습니다. 2013년 9월에 완공됐고, 수도권의 한 아파트 동별로 검사를 하신 거 하나, 둘, 셋, 네 동을 세어보았습니다. 이렇게 하나, 둘, 셋, 네 동. 이것도 한 10년, 20년이 지나면 개떡이 되어버리죠. 보세요, 이게 금이 간 게 지어진 지 불과 5년 됐다는 아파트 단지 곳곳에서 발이 있는 계단을 고정시켜 놓은 철근은 구부러지고, 바닥에 깔린 콘크리트도 깨져 부서지고 있는 상태입니다. 콘크리트에서, 이게 지금 바닥에 콘크리트가 제대로 낮아지면 이렇게 크기가 이렇게 작아지지 않죠. 이거는 깔고서 다지는 걸로 열 번 다지는 거, 이건 안 다진 거란 얘기예요. 시공을 제대로 하지 않으면 하자가 많을 수밖에 없다고 말하는 문수한 씨 선생님이 이제 하신 동사들은 어떤...

These are the things. This, the frame, the frame is made of steel. We also did the insulation on the balcony part next to it. We carried out the waterproofing work as well. We looked at the parking lot, and the floor was already cracked in many places. If insulation work or plastering work is done incorrectly, it might seem fine now, and it may be fine for a few years, but as time goes on, defects start to appear. In the apartments, when it rains, water seeps in through the cracks, and cold air comes in. That's why it needs to be done properly by an expert. Representatives from other subcontracting companies also visited us. They claim that the unreasonable demands from the main contractor are one of the reasons for poor construction in the apartments. There are two aspects to this: either the subcontractor suffers significant losses and continues to work, or they end up doing shoddy construction. Many subcontractors are tempted to cut corners on construction sites. They receive about 70% of what they should.

If 100 people are involved in producing 100 won items, how many people would be involved in producing 70 won items? You can't assign 100 people to produce 70 won items; only 70 people can be assigned. If we assign only 70 people, it will definitely cause problems because we need to pay for the work, but if we don’t pay, it will delay everything. If we are delayed, the regular maintenance and waterproofing, especially the deadlines, will also be delayed. But if we rush to meet the deadlines, will the work be done properly? It will just be done haphazardly. 

When we make a smartphone, for example, we need not only the phone itself but also a case and various components, including semiconductors. There are many different types of semiconductors involved. If, say, five different types are needed, and we decide to cut back on one or two of them, then we are knowingly reducing the quantities given to subcontractors. This is obvious. The subcontractors might need to rush to meet the deadlines, but if they have to cut corners...

Sometimes, construction is carried out exactly as per the plans because doing so avoids breaching the contract. However, our experts noticed that there were issues with the design. Upon investigation, we found that there were fundamental problems. Throughout the construction, we continuously raised these concerns, stating that there were issues. After the project was completed, problems arose. Construction companies, in their pursuit of higher profits, sometimes neglect quality. The core of the controversy lies in the pre-sale and post-construction system. From the construction companies' perspective, they can sell apartments before they are even built, so the consumer's down payment comes in, and only then does construction begin. Efforts to reduce costs do not guarantee the commitment to quality in construction.

5년이면 무너지기 시작? 우리나라 신축 아파트가 무면허 하청에 의해 시공되는 이유 | 추적60분 KBS 190322 방송

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