South Gyeongsang Province moves to standardize inconsistent building regulations across cities and counties

South Gyeongsang Province has launched a push to reform its building administration, standardizing the application of building codes that had varied across cities and counties and streamlining review procedures for large-scale structures.

The province held its second-quarter building administration consultative body meeting Wednesday at the provincial office in Changwon. About 68 participants attended, drawn from 18 cities and counties across the province as well as representatives of the South Gyeongsang chapter of the Korea Institute of Registered Architects.

At the meeting, participants agreed to unify the building code standards applied to reinforced-soil retaining walls, which had been interpreted differently across local governments. The lack of clear administrative guidelines had caused confusion among building owners and design firms: some cities and counties applied standards for stone masonry walls, while others required structural calculation reports or structural safety certificates.

The province plans to draw on input from the cities, counties and the architects' association to establish a unified administrative standard. Officials expect the move to improve consistency and expertise in building administration while reducing the additional costs borne by applicants.

The province also plans to expand joint review procedures to shorten the permit process for large buildings. Structures of 21 stories or higher, or with a total floor area of 100,000 square meters or more, will be eligible for a combined review that processes building deliberation and traffic impact assessments simultaneously.

Under the current system, the two reviews are conducted separately, taking five to six months in total. Expanding the joint review process is expected to cut that to two to three months, easing both the time and financial burden on applicants.

South Gyeongsang Province convenes the consultative body each quarter to identify and address problems that cities, counties and the construction industry encounter on the ground. At the first-quarter meeting earlier this year, the province gathered field feedback and submitted recommendations to the central government on issues requiring legislative revision.

"For matters raised at this meeting that require changes to laws or ordinances, we plan to move quickly through the relevant procedures," said Shin Jong-woo, director of the province's urban housing bureau. "Issues that can be addressed immediately through separate guidelines will be applied directly in the field right away."