One in six South Korean university buildings is over 40 years old, lawmaker says
Version 2: Korea Economic Daily and a second, evening Kyunghyang Shinmun report also carried the finding that one in six university buildings is over 40 years old, while no new figures or government response appeared.
In short
Education Ministry data obtained by opposition lawmaker Han Byung-do shows 2,381 of 13,953 education buildings at 382 universities, or 17.1%, were completed more than 40 years ago, Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. Older buildings score worse on safety: 26.9% of those over 40 with recorded grades were rated C or below, meaning repairs are needed, against 5.7% of newer ones. Han called for a full government inspection and a mid- to long-term repair and funding plan, as projections show the share of 40-year-plus buildings reaching 35.6% by 2035 without rebuilding.
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One in six education buildings at South Korean universities is more than 40 years old, according to Education Ministry data obtained by Rep. Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Education Committee. Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on October 5 that 2,381 of 13,953 education buildings at 382 universities, or 17.1%, were completed more than 40 years ago. Of those, 754 buildings (5.4%) are more than 50 years old and 296 are more than 60 years old. Korea Economic Daily also carried the one-in-six figure in its headline. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The documents link age to safety. Among 6,126 buildings with recorded safety grades, 26.9% of buildings over 40 years old were rated C or below — the level at which repairs are needed — compared with 5.7% of buildings under 40, more than 4.7 times the rate. For buildings over 50 years old, 40.4% were rated C or below. [ 1 , 2 ]
The stock of old buildings is expected to grow. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that 2,589 buildings completed between 1986 and 1995 will pass the 40-year mark within the next decade, and that without rebuilding the number of 40-year-plus buildings is projected to rise to 3,506 (25.1% of the total) by 2030 and 4,970 (35.6%) by 2035 — more than one in three university buildings. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Kyunghyang Shinmun gave further breakdowns not carried by the other documents. Research facilities had the highest share of buildings over 40 years old at 23.9%, followed by faculty research offices (21.7%), libraries (21.3%), lecture rooms (20.6%) and laboratories (20.1%). National universities had a higher old-building share (19.1%) than private universities (16.4%), and at nine flagship national universities 394 of 1,799 buildings (21.9%) were over 40 years old. Chungbuk, Chonnam, Kyungpook and Pusan national universities are each projected to have more than four in ten buildings over 40 years old by 2035, while Seoul National University already has 74 buildings over 50 years old, many dating from its 1975 move to the Gwanak campus. The same report noted that Dasan Hall at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, built in 1942 and designated a registered cultural heritage site, is still used for lectures after interior remodeling. [ 2 ]
Han said the ministry should inspect aging facilities at both national and private universities. “The Education Ministry must conduct a full inspection of aging university facilities regardless of whether they are national or private,” he said, calling for repair and rebuilding priorities to start with lecture buildings and dormitories over 40 years old, backed by a mid- to long-term improvement plan and funding measures. Kyunghyang Shinmun also quoted him saying that because older buildings are far more likely to receive a C grade, student safety can no longer be left to individual universities. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The documents did not include any response from the Education Ministry to the findings or to Han’s proposal, and no report said whether the ministry plans an inspection or additional funding. Kyunghyang Shinmun said the building data are as of last year; the other documents did not give a reference date. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The figures point to deferred maintenance across the university sector, with the oldest lecture halls, libraries and research buildings also carrying the weakest safety grades. If no rebuilding takes place, the documents project that more than a third of university buildings will be 40 years or older by 2035, raising questions about who pays for repairs at national and private institutions. The lawmaker’s demand for a ministry-led inspection and funding plan places the issue on the parliamentary agenda, but the documents contain no government response.
Key facts
- One in six education buildings at 382 universities nationwide is more than 40 years old: 2,381 of 13,953 buildings (17.1%), according to Education Ministry data obtained by Rep. Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 754 buildings (5.4%) are more than 50 years old and 296 are more than 60 years old. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Among 6,126 buildings with recorded safety grades, 26.9% of those over 40 years old were rated C or below, indicating repairs are needed, compared with 5.7% of buildings under 40; for buildings over 50 the share was 40.4%. [ 1 , 2 ]
- 2,589 buildings completed between 1986 and 1995 will pass the 40-year mark within the next decade, and without rebuilding the number of 40-year-plus buildings is projected to reach 3,506 (25.1% of the total) by 2030 and 4,970 (35.6%) by 2035. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Research facilities had the highest share of buildings over 40 years old at 23.9%, followed by faculty research offices (21.7%), libraries (21.3%), lecture rooms (20.6%) and laboratories (20.1%). [ 2 ]
- National universities had a higher share of old buildings (19.1%) than private universities (16.4%), and at nine flagship national universities 394 of 1,799 buildings (21.9%) were over 40 years old. [ 2 ]
- Han said the Education Ministry should inspect aging university facilities at both national and private institutions and set repair priorities starting with lecture buildings and dormitories over 40 years old, backed by a mid- to long-term improvement plan and funding measures. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- One in six education buildings at 382 universities is more than 40 years old: 2,381 of 13,953 buildings (17.1%), based on Education Ministry data. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Buildings over 40 years old have worse safety grades: 26.9% of those with recorded grades were rated C or below, versus 5.7% of buildings under 40. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Without rebuilding, the number of 40-year-plus buildings is projected to rise to 3,506 in 2030 and 4,970 in 2035, or 35.6% of the total that year. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Rep. Han Byung-do called for a full inspection of aging university facilities and for repair priorities and funding measures. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the Education Ministry has responded to the findings or plans any inspection or funding measure. No document contains a comment or statement from the Education Ministry; the data came from material the ministry submitted to the lawmaker, and no government response is reported.
- The breakdowns by facility type, national versus private universities and individual universities, including the share of old buildings at Seoul National University and the four regional national universities. These figures appear only in the Kyunghyang Shinmun report and are not repeated by the other documents.
- The exact reference date of the building data. Kyunghyang Shinmun says the figures are as of last year, while the other documents do not specify a reference date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes its report on the Education Ministry data and Rep. Han Byung-do’s call for a full inspection and funding plan. [ 1 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes its analysis, adding facility-type, national-versus-private and university-level breakdowns and the 2030 and 2035 projections. [ 2 ]
- Korea Economic Daily carries the finding that one in six university buildings is more than 40 years old. [ 3 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes an evening summary repeating the findings, including that roughly 40% of buildings over 50 years old need repairs and that Han calls for a systematic inspection. [ 4 ]