Ministers' Remarks Visiting the Site of the 'Gwangju Collapse Accident'

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety: "We will do our utmost to rescue the missing until the end"

Also personally checked the rescue situation at Gate 8 near the entrance of Building 204

Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Interior and Safety, met with reporters at the accident site on the afternoon of the 17th, the seventh day after the accident, emphasizing "rapid rescue."

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Government ministers have been visiting the site of the Hwajeong I-Park collapse accident in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City one after another, actively working on recovery efforts.

Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, emphasized "rapid rescue," while Noh Hyung-wook, Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Ahn Kyung-duk, Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, each stressed "strict punishment for illegal activities."

On the afternoon of the 17th, the seventh day after the accident, Minister Jeon met with reporters at the accident site and stated, "Above all, we will do our utmost to rescue the missing persons until the end and pay attention to safety, including that of firefighters, during the process."

Minister Jeon said, "In principle, the accident response integrated headquarters led by the current mayor of Gwangju is playing a role, and the central government ministries will also discuss support and other possible collaborative efforts."

He added, "When I met with the families of the missing persons, I suggested that the central government ministries take an active role. Although we have been doing so, we will closely coordinate with the Gwangju-centered response headquarters."

Minister Jeon, along with Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju, also directly checked the rescue team’s work status at Gate 8, near the entrance of Building 204 of Hwajeong I-Park. There were two excavators on site, and debris was piled up in a tangled manner around the area. Afterwards, they went about 2 to 5 meters inside to inspect the outer wall and rescue site.

Minister Noh Hyung-wook of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also visited the accident site on the 12th and stated, "Illegal activities will be strictly punished under a zero-tolerance policy."

He further announced, "Following the collapse of a building during demolition work in Dong-gu, Gwangju, last June, which resulted in the tragic deaths of nine innocent citizens, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility that another building collapse accident occurred here in Gwangju yesterday."

Minister Ahn Kyung-duk of the Ministry of Employment and Labor also said at the site on the same day, "Last June, the Hwaktong collapse accident in Gwangju caused large-scale casualties, and now, once again, a major collapse accident has led to the disappearance of on-site workers. We will thoroughly investigate whether safety standards under the Industrial Safety and Health Act were followed, including whether sufficient time was allowed for the concrete to properly cure and whether the design documents were adhered to."

Meanwhile, the accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th when the outer walls of floors 23 to 38 of Building 201 collapsed at the apartment construction site.

As a result, one worker died and five went missing. It is estimated that they were responsible for window and fire-fighting equipment installation work on floors 28 to 34 of the collapsed building.