On the 17th, Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the 'Cultural Heritage Science Center' being constructed inside the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and the 'Danginri Culture Creation Factory' being developed in Mapo-gu, consecutively to inspect the safety management status of the construction sites, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the same day.
The 'Cultural Heritage Science Center,' being built with a budget of 31.2 billion KRW by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is a space that scientifically manages and preserves cultural heritage based on digital technology and artificial intelligence, and is scheduled to open in October this year. The 'Danginri Culture Creation Factory,' under construction with a budget of 72.5 billion KRW and aiming to open in the second half of 2026, is a cultural facility being rebuilt from an urban abandoned thermal power plant into a place where experimental performances and exhibitions linked to Hongdae youth culture take place.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon (left) is inspecting safety at the restoration construction site of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office in Gwangju on the 12th. [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
Minister Yoo received reports on the progress and safety management measures at each construction site and plans to carefully review safety management measures focusing on high-risk construction sites such as those prone to falls, collapses, fires, and explosions. Additionally, since most recent construction site fire accidents occurred due to failure to follow basic safety rules during welding and cutting work, he intends to frequently check whether the preventive measures established to avoid safety accidents are properly functioning at the construction sites.
Minister Yoo stated, "Since multi-use cultural facilities are directly related to the lives and safety of the public, we must maintain constant vigilance and focus our capabilities on preventing safety accidents at all times. In particular, during the thawing period (February to April), we ask that utmost efforts be made to inspect vulnerable facilities at construction sites to prevent casualties and property damage caused by ground weakening."
On February 1st, Minister Yoo promised the public thorough inspections and safe maintenance of multi-use cultural facilities under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the site of the fire incident at the National Hangeul Museum. He plans to expand safety management inspections at construction sites going forward.
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