Won Hee-ryong: "Geumdan Collapse Accident, Safety Over Move-in... Unlawful Subcontracting to be Investigated Ex Officio"

"LH·GS Must Be Prepared to Take Responsibility if Violations Are Found"
Structural Issues Recur... "Considering Video Recording as Well"

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated regarding the collapse accident that occurred at the construction site of the public sale apartment (Xi Andante) in Block AA13-2 of Geomdan New Town, Seo-gu, Incheon, "We will ensure that residents have confidence in safety. We will conduct an ex officio investigation to determine whether illegal subcontracting occurred."

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, conducted an inspection of the collapse accident site at the public sale apartment construction in Block AA13-2, Geomdan New Town, Seo-gu, Incheon, and held a Q&A session with reporters. / Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Minister Won visited the site and said, "Construction companies should not think that their job is done once they deliver the finished product and receive payment." He added, "Even if the move-in is somewhat delayed, we will conduct thorough safety inspections," and instructed, "The Korea Construction Safety Technology Institute should investigate all blocks where the flat slab structure has been applied."

At the site constructing public sale apartments by Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), a collapse accident occurred around 11:30 p.m. on the 29th of last month, when the roof of the underground parking lot's 1st and 2nd floors collapsed. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the collapsed section was found to be a flat slab structure, raising concerns among prospective residents. This is because the same construction method was applied to the Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju, which collapsed during construction in January last year. The flat slab structure supports loads with columns without using beams or load-bearing walls.

Minister Won said, "The collapsed underground parking roof was located at the floor of a green space (playground), and it seems the load calculation was incorrect," adding, "It is a great relief that there were no casualties." He also stated, "We have ordered LH to halt construction and will conduct a joint special inspection with related agencies and a detailed investigation by experts to determine the cause of the accident."

However, he emphasized avoiding a perspective that flat slab structures are inherently bad, stating, "We will thoroughly examine whether there were any deviations in design, supervision, and site management, as well as whether the appropriate personnel and equipment were deployed."

The site of the public sale apartment construction in Block AA13-2, Geomdan New Town, Seo-gu, Incheon, where a collapse accident occurred. / Photo by Noh Kyung-jo

LH, the implementing agency, expressed regret and said, "We will strive to ensure safety while communicating with residents." LH, which has emphasized supplying high-quality public housing, faced criticism for its newly launched 'Andante' brand. GS Construction, the main contractor, is also in a difficult position. This collapse occurred while a detailed inspection was underway due to cracks on the exterior wall of Seoul Station Central Xi in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Minister Won said, "The Korea Construction Safety Technology Institute is conducting a first investigation into construction-related issues," adding, "We will thoroughly investigate ex officio whether illegal subcontracting occurred and whether there are uncomfortable truths hidden behind trusted brands that the public is unaware of." He also mentioned, "If the accident was caused by long-standing practices at construction sites, we will consider implementing a system to record all work processes in real-time video so that responsibility can be held at any time."

Furthermore, he said, "To prevent absurd accidents from recurring, we will internally review strong and unprecedented preventive and monitoring measures," and added, "If securing safety delays move-in, we will also ensure thorough compensation and remedial measures."