Interior ministry mandates safety routes at protected-zone construction sites

The interior ministry said Tuesday that all construction sites in designated protection and education environment zones will have to install pedestrian safety routes and safety facilities, even when construction does not occupy a pedestrian path under the amended pedestrian safety law.

Previously, the law required pedestrian safety routes and safety facilities only when construction work occupied a pedestrian path. The ministry said that left pedestrians near sites not occupying a path exposed to potential falling equipment or structural collapses. The amendment removes that condition.

The scope includes zones designated to protect children, older people and people with disabilities, along with education environment protection zones. The requirements will take effect after a six-month grace period. The revision, proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jae-gwan, passed the National Assembly's plenary session on July 23, 2026.

"We expect the revision to make a major contribution to improving the safety of vulnerable pedestrians, including children," Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung said. "We will do our best to work closely with local governments so that the amended law takes root at construction sites."