Meeting Led by Deputy Mayor for Administration with 10 Major Construction Companies
Discussion on Building a Real-Time Monitoring System and Strengthening Cooperation
In response to a series of ground subsidence incidents occurring around underground excavation construction sites in Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held a meeting on the 28th with 10 major construction companies currently undertaking major projects in the city.
Seoul City held a meeting on the 28th to strengthen safety management at underground excavation construction sites. The meeting was chaired by Kim Seongbo, Deputy Mayor for Administration, and took place in the conference room on the 8th floor of Seoul City Hall. It was attended by headquarters-level executives from 10 construction companies and academic experts. Photo by Seoul City
The meeting, chaired by Kim Seongbo, Deputy Mayor for Administration, was attended by headquarters-level executives from 10 construction companies involved in major underground excavation projects in Seoul, such as the International Exchange Complex District Road Improvement Project, the Dongbu Arterial Road Underground Construction Project, and the Yeongdong-daero Underground Space Complex Development Project.
The participating construction companies were DL E&C, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Doosan Engineering & Construction, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Lotte Engineering & Construction, Taeyoung Engineering & Construction, Kolon Global, SK Ecoplant, Hanshin Engineering & Construction, and POSCO E&C, totaling 10 companies. From the academic sector, Professor Jeong Changsam of the Department of Civil Engineering at Induk University and Lee Daeyoung, a research fellow at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, attended.
This meeting was organized to review safety management measures for underground spaces and to seek effective countermeasures in cooperation with the construction industry, in order to prevent further ground subsidence incidents that have recently occurred around large-scale underground excavation construction sites nationwide.
To strengthen safety management at excavation construction sites, the city announced several improvement tasks: enhancing underground exploration (GPR) at large-scale excavation sites to once a month and disclosing the results; establishing a "review before construction" system for ground stability; building a real-time safety monitoring system using construction site closed-circuit (CC) TV; giving priority to applying smart measurement technology in ground-weak areas; and reflecting the costs of ground safety measures such as GPR exploration and visual inspections in construction costs. The city requested active cooperation from those on site.
The construction companies requested the reflection of appropriate construction costs and schedules that take into account the characteristics of urban areas, as well as the establishment of a consultative body for expert advisory between Seoul City experts and construction companies. In addition, the city plans to review the opinions discussed at this meeting and include relevant content in the future "Seoul Metropolitan Government Comprehensive Underground Safety Measures."
Kim Seongbo, Deputy Mayor for Administration of Seoul, stated, "In light of recent incidents, Seoul City is re-examining the overall safety management of underground spaces, including excavation construction sites. We are working together with the private construction industry to develop effective countermeasures," adding, "We will do our utmost to listen to voices from the field and work together to devise practical and effective solutions."
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