Cause of Collapse 'Dongbari Removal'... Hyundai Construction Employees Say "Subcontractors Did It Arbitrarily"

Most Deny Charges of 'Subcontractor Blame'... Key Issue Is Whether Primary Contractor Was Involved in Major Negligence

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] It has been reported that officials from Hyundai Development Company largely denied most allegations related to the collapse accident at Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju, shifting responsibility onto subcontractors.

The investigation headquarters for the collapse accident at the newly constructed apartment in Seo-gu, Gwangju (Gwangju Police Agency) announced on the 27th that they conducted investigations on three Hyundai Development Company suspects until late the previous day.

They are accused of violating their duty of care at the construction site of the newly built apartment, where the exterior wall collapsed on the 11th, causing casualties.

One key factor in proving negligence is the removal of the "dongbari" (support props), considered one of the causes of the accident.

According to Hyundai Development Company’s site guidelines and the Standard Specifications from the National Construction Standards Center, for buildings over 30 floors, support props called dongbari must be installed on the three floors below during concrete pouring work.

However, it was investigated that eight subcontractor workers conducting pouring work on the 39th floor did not install dongbari from the PIT floor (pipe and equipment floor) directly below, up to the 37th floor.

Regarding this, the Hyundai Development Company suspects testified that "the subcontractor acted arbitrarily," mostly denying the primary contractor’s negligence. This contradicts a subcontractor’s statement to the police that "the Hyundai Development Company site manager ordered the removal of the dongbari."

In the upcoming investigation, it is expected that Hyundai Development Company will be closely questioned on whether they were directly involved in matters related to the cause of the accident.

So far, a total of 11 people have been criminally charged in this case, including six Hyundai Development Company officials: the site manager, construction manager, and four safety management staff. The remaining suspects include one subcontractor site manager, three supervisors, and one subcontractor representative charged with contract-related irregularities.

On this day, the investigation continues with the additional summons and questioning of two supervisors to identify those responsible.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit, which plays a key role in the investigation headquarters, is focusing on probing allegations of illegal subcontracting. Following the summons of participants in formwork construction the previous day, the representative of the reinforced concrete subcontractor was summoned for questioning to examine subcontracting contract relationships.

The representative of the company is accused of violating the prohibition on subcontracting under the Construction Industry Basic Act by signing labor contracts with eight employees from a pump car company and mobilizing them for pouring work.

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

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