"Only a year since completion, yet leaks and frozen pipes..." Park Young-hoon, Bupyeong District Councillor, criticises poor management of 'Haha-gol Village'

It has been revealed that 'Haha-gol Village', a newly constructed public facility in Bupyeong District, Incheon, is suffering from serious defects such as leaks and frozen pipes just over a year after its completion. There are concerns that residents' inconveniences are increasing due to the district office's lukewarm response.

Park Young-hoon, a member of the Incheon Bupyeong District Council (Democratic Party, Bupyeong 3, Sangok 3, 4, Sipjeong 1, 2), sharply criticised the poor management of public facilities and the conflicts involving local housing cooperatives in redevelopment areas during the urban environment committee's report on urban maintenance and urban regeneration at the 274th extraordinary session held on the 3rd.

Councillor Park specifically targeted the delay in repairs for 'Haha-gol Village'. He strongly condemned, "Is it reasonable for a building that has only been completed for a year to have leaks in the summer and for the gym shower facilities to be shut down due to frozen pipes in winter?"

He particularly pointed out that responsible officials, including department heads, have never properly met with the site representatives, stating, "The department is leaving it to them to manage as if saying 'you take care of it'" and warned, "If the leak issue is not fundamentally resolved before summer, secondary and tertiary damages are inevitable."

Concerns about redevelopment issues also followed. Councillor Park checked the progress of redevelopment in the western area of Bupyeong-dong and mentioned the potential damage in areas where local housing cooperatives (joint housing) and redevelopment are mixed.

Councillor Park stated, "If the redevelopment consent is met without fulfilling the requirements for joint housing, existing joint housing members will bear the civil damages entirely" and urged, "The district must devise measures at the district level to minimise the damage to our local residents beyond administrative procedures."

Councillor Park also called for policy changes regarding the post-management system after the urban regeneration project ends. He pointed out, "Currently, the ordinance only supports utility bills for three years and leaves the rest to residents' self-reliance" and added, "It is unreasonable for a resident representative without professional knowledge to manage facilities like the complex that includes jobs for the elderly and children's dream centres, such as in Hwa-cheong-gol Village."

He continued, "As the village management social cooperative has received approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Bupyeong District should take the lead in amending the ordinance to establish a professional post-management support plan."

In response, a district official stated, "We will review efficient support measures for community facilities used by residents through continuous repairs and consultations with relevant departments."