'Arrest Warrant Issued for Supervisor in Gwangju Demolition Building Collapse Disaster'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The police investigating the Gwangju building demolition collapse disaster, which resulted in 17 casualties, have applied for an arrest warrant for the construction supervisor following two others, including the excavator operator who carried out the demolition work.

On the 16th, the Gwangju Police Agency Investigation Headquarters applied for a preliminary arrest warrant for Mr. A, the head of an architectural office located in Gwangju, on charges of neglecting supervision duties during the demolition work (violation of the Building Management Act).

It was investigated that Mr. A failed to conduct mandatory safety inspections on-site during the demolition work. Under normal procedures, the demolition work must pass Mr. A’s inspection before proceeding to the next phase, but this process was omitted. In particular, Mr. A did not prepare any related documents that should have been completed after inspecting the site. The police confirmed that Mr. A did not even prepare the supervision logbook, which is suspected to have been concealed immediately after the disaster occurred.

Mr. A obtained his architect license in 1995 but reportedly completed the demolition supervision training conducted by the Korea Institute of Registered Architects only in April last year. The demolition supervisor for this project was selected by Dong-gu using a manpower pool organized by Gwangju City, and the redevelopment project association finalized the contract. The police are also investigating whether there was any illegality in the selection process that allowed Mr. A, who lacks significant experience as a supervisor, to be in charge of a large-scale demolition project.

The police had previously applied for preliminary arrest warrants for two individuals?the excavator operator (CEO of Baeksol Construction) and the site construction manager (a representative of Hansol Enterprise)?on charges including professional negligence causing death and injury. They are accused of forcibly carrying out demolition work in the Hakdong 4 District redevelopment site, ignoring laws such as illegal multi-tier subcontracting and non-compliance with the demolition plan, which led to the building collapse on the 9th, causing 17 casualties. The warrant hearing is scheduled to be held at 11 a.m. on the 17th at the Gwangju District Court.