Enhanced wall pads signal an increase in maintenance fees

With the upcoming implementation of a law aimed at strengthening the management of 'wall pads' — devices that can control apartment doors, lights, and home appliances — apartment maintenance fees are expected to rise. Although these measures are necessary to prevent hacking, controversy has arisen because the law applies to older apartments that do not have such features.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on Sunday, the revised Information and Communications Construction Business Act, which strengthens the management system of information and communication facilities within apartments, will take effect on July 19. The key point of the revision is that apartments of a certain size or larger are required to have qualified information and communications technicians. This measure was implemented following a hacking incident in 2021 involving a smart home network system, such as a wall pad, in an apartment. At that time, the incident sparked widespread fear that personal privacy within homes could be fully exposed.

The ministry estimates that when the law takes effect, the maintenance fees for 13,170 apartment complexes will increase by 10 billion won annually. This translates to an additional 760,000 won per complex per year. However, the Korea Association of Apartment Managers, an organization of apartment management supervisors, estimates the increase to be over 500 billion won annually, more than 50 times the ministry's estimate. They argue that the cost burden per complex will exceed 35 million won, leading to a significant rise in maintenance fees.

The scope of the law's application is also a subject of controversy. The ministry has included all multi-family housing, such as apartment complexes with 300 or more units. This includes older apartments that do not have home network systems. "We will ensure that other information and communication systems, including general internet services, are also managed in addition to home network systems," the ministry announced,

The relevant ministry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, maintains that internet and TV facilities are already managed by apartment management offices. This perspective, along with the concerns raised by the Korea Association of Apartment Managers who gathered over 51,000 signatures in opposition and submitted them to the Ministry of Science and ICT on June 21, provides a comprehensive view of the issue.


남혜정 namduck2@donga.com