Since the start of fall, intensive inspections of construction sites have been taking place one after another. The Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting a month-long intensive inspection period for roofing and solar power construction projects starting September 28, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is also beginning inspections of 46 marine and fisheries construction sites nationwide on the same day, with various ministries and agencies carrying out their own inspection schedules. Although the organizing bodies and targets vary, on-site inspections this year are trending toward an increase in frequency and shorter intervals.
In this news segment, we’ll summarize the details of the major inspections that have recently begun, the trends shaping this year’s inspections, and what these changes require of construction sites.
Anticipating an increase in roof repairs and solar panel installations this fall, the Ministry of Employment and Labor launched an intensive monitoring campaign running from September 28 to October 27. Roofing and solar panel projects are typically short-term and small-scale, making it easy for safety measures to be neglected; furthermore, roofing materials such as skylights, slate, and sandwich panels pose a greater risk of damage as they age. The Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting on-site inspections in conjunction with a campaign involving local governments and relevant agencies, and is providing subsidies covering up to 90% of the costs for installing safety equipment, such as safety harness anchor points and fall protection nets.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will inspect 46 sites nationwide from September 28 to October 30 through the “Central Quality and Safety Management Team.” The inspections target projects with construction costs of 30 billion won or more, those awarded through low-bid contracts (less than 70% of the estimated cost), or those involving safety-vulnerable processes. Ten teams, composed of private-sector experts in ports, construction, and safety as well as government officials, will assist on-site.
Taken individually, these are seasonal campaigns and routine inspections, but when viewed within the context of this year’s trends, a clear direction emerges.
Starting with this round of inspections, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has increased the frequency from once to twice a year and shifted from selecting only major projects to conducting comprehensive inspections of all projects subject to special management. The Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC) began deploying its “KRC Safety Patrol Cars”—which make unannounced site visits—with one vehicle from its headquarters last March and has since expanded the fleet to nine vehicles by adding more to eight regional offices this month. In August, the Seoul Metropolitan Government inspected heat-related illness prevention measures at 30 private construction sites, ordering corrective action for 31 cases of non-compliance, and has requested the Ministry of Employment and Labor to mandate the suspension of outdoor work when the heat index reaches 35 degrees or higher.
The entities conducting the inspections, the targets of the inspections, and the timing of the inspections all vary. The common thread is that these inspections are shifting from annual events to ongoing activities.
As inspections become more frequent, there are two changes felt on-site.
First, advance notice is eliminated. If inspectors arrive unannounced—like a patrol car—or if inspections shift to comprehensive, full-scale checks, the practice of preparing specifically for a set date no longer works; the site must be in the same condition no matter who comes or when.
The other is that inspections now take the past into account. In this round of inspections, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is verifying not only construction quality and safety management practices but also whether issues raised in past inspections have been addressed and whether they have recurred. It is not enough for the site to be in good order now; it must also demonstrate how previous concerns were handled.
This is where Digital Presso sees an opportunity. As inspections become more frequent, the burden does not fall on the day of the inspection itself, but rather accumulates over the time in between. It is difficult to keep up with inspections—which are expanding to twice a year, unannounced, and comprehensive—by creating new documents each time to respond.
Digitalpresso’s B2B comprehensive construction platform, RenameDP, is designed so that the data required for inspections is automatically accumulated during the work process. When photos are taken on-site, location and time information is automatically mapped, documenting exactly what was done, where, and when. Site-specific risk assessments and TBM (pre-work safety briefing) documents—including electronic signatures—are processed within the app, serving as verifiable records that same day. When used in conjunction with electronic approval and document management, the progress of addressing issues is also stored along with the approval history.
This system is designed to ensure that, in the event of an unannounced inspection, there is no need to prepare separate documents—instead, you can immediately retrieve and present the findings from the previous inspection.
The trend toward stricter inspections is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future. Rather than investigating the causes after an accident occurs, the shared goal of the government and contracting agencies is to identify risks beforehand; the method chosen to achieve this is to increase the frequency of inspections and eliminate advance notice.
From the field’s perspective, the remaining challenge is not simply passing the inspections, but how to manage the periods between them. The records serve as proof of that management.
The Korea Specialized Construction News, “Ministry of Employment and Labor Launches Intensive Inspection Period for Fall Roof and Solar Power Construction,” 2026 — https://www.koscaj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=326704
Korea Specialized Construction News, “Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Conduct Intensive Inspections at 46 Marine and Fisheries Construction Sites… Twice a Year,” 2026 — https://www.koscaj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=326701
Korea Specialized Construction News, “Rural Development Administration Expands ‘Unannounced Safety Inspections’ at Construction Sites Nationwide… Operates 9 Patrol Vehicles,” 2026 — https://www.koscaj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=326313
Korea Specialized Construction News, “Seoul City Inspects Heat-Related Illness Prevention Measures at Private Construction Sites… 31 Cases Found Inadequate,” 2026 — https://www.koscaj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=326013
This content was produced by Digital Presso Co., Ltd. and references the above sources. Please refer to the original articles for further details.
