From safety plan to field inspection and follow-up action on day one of office, District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa puts resident safety at the center of local governance
A total of 12,400 disaster-vulnerable facilities inspected; 33 sites requiring repairs addressed immediately or placed under ongoing management
Seoul's Seongdong-gu has completed safety inspections of 12,400 disaster-vulnerable facilities and worksites, carrying out its "2026 Seongdong-gu Comprehensive Safety Inspection Plan" — the second official directive signed by District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa upon taking office — with the protection of residents' lives and safety as its top priority.
The comprehensive inspection reflects Yoo's commitment, from the start of the current term, to making the safety of residents' daily lives the foremost principle of district governance amid a range of disaster and hazard risks.
To proactively prepare for summer natural disasters — including heat waves, heavy rainfall and strong winds — as well as industrial accidents, Seongdong-gu inspected a total of 12,400 disaster-vulnerable facilities and worksites. The original inspection target stood at 11,898 sites, but the district identified and added 502 locations in disaster-prone areas, including households vulnerable to flooding, to close gaps in safety coverage.
The inspection covered four areas — heat waves, heavy rain, strong winds and industrial accidents — with 10 departments, including the Safety Management Division, conducting field-based checks. In the heat wave category, inspectors examined cooling and safety equipment at designated cooling shelters, smart cooling stations and water play facilities. In the heavy rain category, they focused on stormwater pump stations, floodgates, flood-prone households, underground road and pedestrian underpasses, and retaining walls, stone embankments and slopes.
Also to guard against strong winds, inspectors checked the fastening and anchoring of construction sites, shade structures, security lights and streetlights. At field offices and contracted cleaning worksites, teams reviewed workers' occupational health and safety management systems, heat illness prevention measures and rest facilities.
The inspections identified issues requiring remediation at 33 sites in total. Of these, 25 were repaired or corrected on the spot. The remaining eight — involving damaged flood barriers, cracks in retaining walls and stone embankments, mortar spalling, and aging cooling equipment in need of replacement — require more extensive repair or reinforcement and will be managed on an ongoing basis according to action plans assigned to each responsible party.
The district intends to go beyond a one-time inspection and maintain continuous safety management. When weather alerts are issued, on-site monitoring and safety management of disaster-vulnerable facilities will be strengthened, and high-risk sites will be reinspected in the field as needed. Should serious hazards be found, the district will take preemptive safety measures — including restricting facility use or ordering evacuations — to prevent accidents.
"Protecting the lives and safety of residents is the most fundamental duty of public administration and a principle that must take precedence over all else," Yoo said. "We will leave no gaps in safety by conducting constant field-based inspections and taking preemptive action, so that residents can go about their daily lives with peace of mind."
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