Residents of a newly built apartment complex in Songdo, Incheon — where a balcony structure broke off in August — say rainwater poured into their homes this time, flooding more than 100 units. Residents are pointing to repeated leaks and the builder's response as evidence of what they allege is shoddy construction.
An emergency residents' committee at the Lux Ocean SK View complex in Songdo said on the 20th that more than 100 units reported flood damage after rain fell on the 18th. The Korea Meteorological Administration said cumulative rainfall in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, reached 40 millimeters at the time.
Residents said rainwater came in through window frames even though all windows were shut. In some units, water that came over the frames pooled on the floor, and water seeping through cracks in the cement soaked hardwood flooring, according to the committee. Photos taken by residents showed towels stuffed into window frames to block incoming water and pools of water across living room floors.
The committee said the damage was not confined to a particular building or floor but occurred simultaneously across the complex, from lower to upper floors. Reports were especially common around balcony windows in living rooms and master bedrooms. Residents have raised the possibility of problems in the design or installation of the windows, but the exact cause of the leaks and whether construction defects are involved have not yet been confirmed.
Residents also complained about the builder's response. The committee said it could not reach the service center on the day of the rain and that it notified officials at SK Ecoplant, the contractor, of the damage and asked for communication but received no immediate response.
"The leaks have gone unresolved for two years despite repeated repairs. Stopgap patchwork treatment ultimately caused 100 units to be flooded," the committee said. "The mass flooding following the terrace collapse proves SK Ecoplant's across-the-board shoddy construction."
The complex drew scrutiny just two months ago over the balcony collapse. On Aug. 7, a balcony structure and exterior cladding broke away from the outer wall on the second floor of one building. No one was injured because the unit had not yet been occupied.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Incheon city government formed a joint accident investigation committee on Aug. 19 with 10 experts in fields including building structure, construction and law. The committee plans to determine the cause of the collapse and draw up measures to prevent a recurrence by the 20th of next month.
The complex, built by SK Ecoplant, has 1,114 units. It was completed in February last year, and move-ins began in March. When the units went on presale in 2022, the presale price for 84-square-meter units ranged from 827 million won to 919 million won, while 96-square-meter units were offered at 1.083 billion won and 104-square-meter units at 1.246 billion won. Some larger unit types topped 1.8 billion won.