Korean construction law's push for sustainability: an interview with Song Won-ho

Sustainable cities start with the buildings people live in. In Korea, that means even construction companies are now being held to strict environmental standards. In this interview, construction professional Song Won-ho provided insights to the effective compliance system that construction companies adhere to ensure environmental sustainability, as well as the challenges presented by regionally fragmented regulations and dissatisfaction among users.

You mentioned that a significant portion of a building’s carbon emissions—such as those from heating, cooling, and lighting—occur during the operational phase after occupancy. In that case, how are these research findings actually influencing apartment design and construction methods? From a construction company’s perspective, are there any tangible changes you’ve noticed?

I’ve been working at a construction company since 2004, so it’s been about 20 years now. The laws have changed significantly since then, and I believe a societal paradigm has now been established where energy conservation and eco-friendly carbon reduction are simply unavoidable. As a result, all the various materials in this room now have stricter eco-friendly standards. If they don’t meet those standards, they aren’t allowed in multi-unit housing—especially apartments—because these are areas where people come into direct contact with the materials. There’s actually a system in place at construction sites to inspect these materials before construction begins.

For example, when using materials, specific materials are specified during the design phase. Then, when actually using them, there is a construction supervision system in place where supervisors are present on-site. You must submit all relevant documents and certifications proving that the materials used match those specified in the blueprints to the supervisor, and construction can only begin after receiving their approval. So, I feel that the legal framework and systems for this are now almost fully established on-site. I do feel that, but as you mentioned earlier, even if construction companies or the government encourage this and the construction company builds accordingly, it ultimately depends on how the user operates the building—that is extremely important.

When it comes to energy conservation and carbon reduction, the goal is to use less energy—that is, to use high-efficiency appliances that consume less electricity. Since water is also a resource, we use water-saving fixtures, such as faucets and toilets that consume significantly less water than before. In particular, recent legislation has mandated the installation of water-saving showerheads and toilets in bathrooms and kitchens, reducing water by about 17%. 

The problem with this is that even though the system is set up this way, when users—ordinary people like us—use it, the water doesn’t flush properly. So, to get it to flush properly, they might increase the water flow, or later, when doing individual renovations, they might switch to products that use more water than the legally mandated ones because the standard ones are too inconvenient, or they might use brighter light bulbs There are issues like that, and lately, we’ve been receiving a lot of complaints. In particular, we get a lot of complaints about these water-saving toilets being clogged. Anyway, to save energy or reduce carbon emissions, users have to overcome the initial inconvenience, but there’s a bit of a mismatch between our goals and reality.

So, you mentioned that from the perspective of actual consumers or residents, there are still difficulties adjusting. However, from the company’s perspective, are there any examples where eco-friendly or high-efficiency designs have brought about positive changes in apartment complexes that you could share?

In a way, rather than being purely positive, the system is now such that if you don’t comply with the rules regarding high efficiency or carbon reduction during the business licensing stage, you simply cannot obtain the necessary permits. This is the evaluation form for green-certified multi-unit housing. We’re currently seeking project approval for a 2,500-unit complex in Wolsan, Namyangju, and evaluation criteria like this are all included. Specifically, if you look here, there are items related to energy and environmental pollution, and under materials, there are grades for the use of low-carbon materials. There are scores for low-carbon materials and hazardous substances, and unless you achieve a certain score, the project won’t pass and won’t receive approval. 

So, to meet these requirements—for example, to achieve Grade 1 for low-carbon materials—you must use at least nine materials to earn 2 points. But if you look further, Grade 2 requires the use of at least seven materials with certified carbon performance, and materials with low-carbon certification to all construction work for the same purpose. These detailed regulations are laid out extensively in a handbook, and since the system requires full compliance, it has now become a legal requirement. This has been fully codified into law, so non-compliance is not an option. You can consider it practically mandatory.

Regarding these mandatory details—you’ve mentioned thermal insulation, energy efficiency, eco-friendly materials, and low-carbon materials—how are you responding to these regulations? Are there any systemic changes in place?

To understand that, I need to explain something first. In the construction industry—we’re a mid-sized construction company specializing in apartments—companies like us, including larger ones such as Samsung, Hyundai, or Lotte, don’t produce all our materials in-house. For example, windows are made by KCC or LG, flooring by Dongwha Natural Flooring or Hansol, and tiles by tile companies like Dongseo Tile or INUS. Since the companies that manufacture these materials already produce everything in full compliance with these certification systems, all we have to do is verify that the products have the appropriate certificates and purchase them. So, in a way, the entire system is already in place.

However, as I mentioned earlier, compared to when I first started working in 2004, the minimum standards for the legal systems I showed you in the chart have risen significantly. Consequently, you can view the entire construction materials system in South Korea as having been upgraded to meet those standards. Accordingly, a social system has emerged where construction companies have no choice but to use those materials if they want to build apartments and obtain project approval.  

With the strengthening of environmental and energy regulations, do you think the biggest concern is the increase in costs, as you mentioned? Or are there other challenges, such as construction timelines or the difficulty of modifying existing design methods?

Yes, the biggest issue is the rise in construction costs. However, in a way, it’s not just us seeing an increase—overall costs are rising across the board, so you could view this as a broader societal trend. But the pace of this increase is too steep. Yes, I definitely get that impression quite strongly. And from a construction perspective, that’s how we perceive the situation.

Another point is the tables we briefly looked at earlier. These are summarized as an overview, but to meet the point allocation for each item, if we were to compile this into a booklet, it would require 5 to 6 pages, or even up to 10 pages. To meet these requirements, the level of detail is such that it consumes a significant amount of time in advance for things like permits and approvals. This involves administrative procedures, and as I mentioned earlier, since Korea is organized into local governments—Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and even within Gyeonggi Province, cities like Yongin and Hanam—each local government, autonomous district, and city has its own set of ordinances. So, there are building ordinances, and they differ from city to city. So, we can’t apply a single standard to all apartment construction sites nationwide; we have to go through the permitting process again for each city. This creates administrative burdens—or, let’s call it a hassle—because there’s no modular system in place.

Furthermore, there’s a tendency toward what could be seen as “showpiece administration”—cities competing to adopt measures quickly or to demonstrate that “our city is more advanced and stricter in this area.” As a result, some cities set standards that are excessively high compared to others. So, especially in local governments bordering the Han River—for example, Yangpyeong County Office—since Yangpyeong is a drinking water supply zone for Seoul, regulations there are particularly strict regarding permits, wastewater discharge, and carbon emissions. In any case, I get the feeling that the administrative procedures are a bit excessive.

In contrast to the difficulties caused by these increased regulations, have there been moments when you felt a sense of fulfillment while working in the construction industry, contributing directly to eco-friendly development or the creation of sustainable cities?

Lately, I’ve been feeling a great sense of fulfillment when residents move in. Systems in underground parking garages have changed significantly compared to the past. For example, electric vehicle charging stations and solar power systems are now almost mandatory, so apartment rooftops are almost entirely covered with solar panels. The electricity generated isn’t so much used by individual households as it is by the building’s common areas to offset their energy consumption. 

We’ve set up monitoring systems in areas like elevator lobbies and underground parking garages where solar power is heavily used, so people can see the results with their own eyes. When residents see how much solar energy is being generated and distributed to them, and feel the convenience of that, I find that particularly rewarding.

Also, unlike in the past, when residents move in, we now measure the levels of eco-friendly emissions and environmental pollution within each unit. The data clearly shows that emissions of formaldehyde and other harmful substances have significantly decreased compared to 20 years ago. Seeing that makes me feel a real sense of fulfillment.