JOURNAL | LEA ARCHITECTS Journal

2026 · 10

Regulation Guide

Balcony Expansion Permit — What Sellers Should Settle Before Listing

Listing a unit you extended years ago, only for the buyer to raise it after signing. Three routes for settling the action permit before the sale, the clauses to write, and the papers to find first.

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2026 · 10

Regulation Guide

Balcony Expansion Permit — What Contractors Should Finish First

The job stalls at the management office, not on site. Working the action permit back from the start date, the scope to separate in a quotation, and the paperwork a completion inspection needs.

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2026 · 10

Regulation Guide

Balcony Expansion Permit — What Buyers Should Check Before Signing

Finding out after you move in is too late. How to confirm the permit on paper, what to do in each case, and the clauses that keep the cost from landing on you.

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2026 · 10

Regulation Guide

Balcony Expansion Permit — What Agents Should Check and Disclose

What to know when the unit you are selling had its balcony expanded without permission: how an action permit differs from a completion inspection, the routes open during a sale, and the clauses that keep it off your desk.

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2026 · 09

Regulation Guide

Hostel Conversion — Conditions and Procedure at a Glance

What to check first when turning a shop or office into a hostel: facility groups, tourism business plan approval, road and window rules in residential zones, and fire standards. Part one of the series.

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2026 · 09

Regulation Guide

Is Your Building Eligible for a Hostel? — Zoning, Schools, Roads

How to filter a hostel site with a single land use planning certificate: the zoning exemption under the Tourism Promotion Act, educational environment protection zones, and the road condition in general residential zones.

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2026 · 09

Regulation Guide

Hostel Window Screening and Setback Distance

The D ≥ H ÷ 2 rule in general residential zones: which walls are caught, why one hostel floor brings the whole building into scope, and how to keep escape equipment in the plan.

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2026 · 09

Regulation Guide

Tourism Business Plan Approval — Documents and Order of Play

A hostel needs business plan approval and tourism business registration on top of the change of use. The order between the two departments, who prepares which document, and how names are handled.

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2026 · 09

Regulation Guide

Hostel Fire Safety and Building Standards

The 300 and 600 square metre sprinkler thresholds, descending life lines from the third floor, fire-resistant glazing within 1.5m of the boundary, and the parking exemption.

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2026 · 09

Regulation Guide

When a Hostel Will Not Work — Gosiwon and Urban Homestay

Two routes when the road, window or school condition blocks a hostel: multi-unit living facilities and urban homestay for foreign tourists, compared on statute, building type and fire rules.

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2026 · 09

Resources

Statutory Forms — Hostels, Tourism Business, Leases

The statutory Korean forms used in hostel permitting and rental practice, each annotated with when it is used: business plan approval, tourism business registration, standard leases and tenant consents.

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2026 · 08

Practice Tool

Free Average U-Value Calculator — 2025-738 Standard

A free Excel calculator for area-weighted average thermal transmittance, built to Korea’s Building Energy Conservation Design Standard.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Legalizing Unauthorized Buildings — The Special Act Guide

A guide to eligibility, procedure, and the enforcement penalty problem under the Special Act on Consolidation of Specific Buildings.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Change of Use Permit — The Complete Procedure

What triggers a use change, the review items, and how it cascades into fire and accessibility code.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Apartment Balcony Extension — The Activity Permit Guide

The permit path for legally extending an apartment balcony into living space.

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2026 · 06

Case Study

Balcony Extension Permit in Giheung — A Project Diary

A real activity-permit case for balcony extension, from filing to completion.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Daylight Setback — The Height-to-Distance Rule Explained

How the daylight setback line shapes massing near residential boundaries.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Multi-Family vs Multi-Household vs Urban-Living Housing

Similar exteriors, entirely different ownership structures — a full comparison.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Parking Space Calculation — How Many Spots Do You Need

Parking requirement formulas by use and unit count, explained with examples.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Lot Coverage and Floor Area Ratio Explained

The two numbers that decide how large a building can be on your site.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Growth Management Plan Incentives — Relaxed Building Limits

How compliance with a Growth Management Plan can unlock a higher coverage ratio.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Legal Basement Classification on Sloped Sites

Calculating the weighted average ground level that determines basement status.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Building on Forest Land — Mountain Use Permits and Slope Standards

Cheap land has a reason. What to check before developing forest land.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

It's My Land, Why Can't I Build? — Road Access and Land Use Consent

Two meters to a road. This short condition decides a parcel's fate.

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2026 · 06

Regulation Guide

Firefighter Access Windows — The Meaning of the Red Triangle

The red triangle on glass is not decoration. The installation standards in full.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Farm Sheds and Temporary Structures — Reporting Rules and the Future of Modular Housing

Even a single container requires a report. The legal boundaries of the farm shed, mapped out.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Farmland Conversion — Building on Farmland and the Levy Structure

If the land category is 'farmland,' here's how to build on it. The process and cost of farmland conversion.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Building Permit vs. Building Report — Which One Is Your Project?

A permit is reviewed; a report is filed. But filed doesn't mean easy.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

The Complete Extension Guide — From Reporting Thresholds to Hidden Pitfalls

Even adding one room brings the full weight of the law. The complete extension process.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Balcony, Veranda, Terrace — What You Call It vs. What the Law Calls It

Words we use interchangeably, but legally three entirely different spaces.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Enforcement Penalties — How Much, and Until When

Not a fine — a bill that recurs 'until corrected.' The structure and exits.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

What Counts as a Major Repair — The Line Between Interior Work and Permitted Construction

The same-looking work can be interior finishing on one project and a permit trigger on another.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

How to Read a Building Ledger — A 5-Minute Self-Check Before You Sign

The registry alone isn't enough. A building's true record is the ledger.

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2026 · 07

Case Study

Building Checklist Before Signing a Commercial Lease — For Business Owners

Before goodwill money, check the building ledger. Every pitfall by business type, in one place.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Decks, Canopies, Awnings — What Can You Actually Put in Your Yard?

The moment a roof and columns appear, the law steps in.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

What Is a Development Activity Permit — The Gate Before the Building Permit

Developing land outside the city means meeting the National Land Planning Act first.

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2026 · 07

Regulation Guide

Septic System Standards — The Final Gate for a Rural Home Build

Where does the wastewater go? The hidden variable of a rural new build.

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