In the summer of 2020, the rainy season on the Korean Peninsula, which began on June 24, lasted 54 days in the central region. The Korea Meteorological Administration announced that it was the longest rainy season on the Korean Peninsula ever. A record downpour this year led to nationwide landslides, floods, and casualties, resulting in heavy damage. Especially in University of Seoul (UOS), the damage to landscaping architectures was serious, with trees breaking on campus. Also, water leaked in the dormitory during the rainy season. In these cases, who repairs or prevents such damages in UOS?

The Division of Construction (DC), which belongs to the Administrative Organization, is responsible for the facility planning and maintenance of the school buildings in UOS. The UOS Times interviewed the DC to ask how they make efforts to keep the school member’s daily life in normal condition. According to the DC, they check the school buildings that need to be repaired by referring to civil complaints and conducting inspections. Especially in the summer when heavy rain falls, like this rainy season, the DC checks once more before the Korean monsoon approaches. When a typhoon is forecasted, they remove the risk factors that might be caused by strong winds such as piled up materials. They check and organize the materials piled up before the typhoon. After the rain, they waterproof the seepage spots and repair the facilities to take follow-up measures. They take the measures to buildings in need of renovation through the facility management corporation.

Regarding earthquake-resistant construction, after the seismic performance evaluation was conducted in 2017, it was determined that the central library needed earthquake-resistant reinforcement, so the library completed the seismic reinforcement work in 2018. University of Museum and Kyoungnong Hall are also under seismic reinforcement construction to preserve its original state.

The DC is making various efforts to cope with natural disasters. Then, are the buildings completely safe for the natural disaster? According to the safety inspection of 10 school buildings in 2019, seven buildings were rated B and three buildings were rated C. The inspection was conducted on buildings that are over 100 square meters and less than 40 years old. Both class B and class C mean the facility has light defects in some parts, but it functions well. Thus, the buildings require some repair to enhance durability for the safety of the school members.