Joo Woo-jung, CEO of Hyundai Engineering, appeared at the National Assembly on the 13th and said regarding the Sejong~Anseong Expressway accident that occurred last month, "If there are parts to be held responsible based on the investigation results, I will take responsibility." He also responded that if it is concluded that re-construction is necessary, it will be done accordingly.
On that day, CEO Joo attended the full meeting of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and responded this way to a question from Yoon Jong-gun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. He did not mention the specific cause of the accident as it is still under investigation, but expressed his intention to accept all the results that come out later.
When Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked if cost reduction was presumed to be the cause, CEO Joo replied, "I understand that such content (cost reduction) is not related to the accident." When asked about the possibility of applying the Serious Accident Punishment Act, he said, "There will be no evasion of responsibility."
On the 13th, Joo Woo-jeong, CEO of Hyundai Engineering, attended the full meeting of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held at the National Assembly and responded to lawmakers' questions. Photo by Yonhap News.
After the accident, CEO Joo also indicated his intention to personally visit the site to listen to complaints from residents who suffered damages due to nearby road closures. According to the company, since the accident, eight briefing sessions have been held, and loss adjusters have participated in damage verification work.
However, when criticized for not personally visiting the site after the first day of the accident, he said, "I will directly meet with nearby residents to listen to complaints or demands and prepare countermeasures."
Regarding the increased anxiety due to consecutive accidents across Hyundai Engineering’s workplaces, CEO Joo said, "We will do our best to lead substantial changes through fundamental transformations to ensure that safety accidents do not occur, rather than conducting routine investigations."
At the site of the bridge deck collapse accident during the construction of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, which resulted in 10 casualties, officials from the police, National Forensic Service, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, National Disaster Safety Research Institute, and Korea Land and Housing Safety Management Institute conducted a joint inspection on the 28th of last month to determine the cause of the accident. Photo by Yonhap News
Hyundai Engineering was the construction contractor for the Sejong~Anseong Expressway construction section where the accident occurred on the 25th of last month. Four people died and six were injured in the accident. On the 10th, a fall accident occurred at an apartment construction site in Pyeongtaek, resulting in one death and one injury.
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