Gyeonggi Province Strengthens Safety Management to Prevent Land Subsidence at Large Excavation Sites

Gyeonggi Province is implementing and promoting preventive measures to ensure that a second major disaster, such as the collapse accident at the Gwangmyeong Sinansan Line construction site in April, does not occur. Previously, following the Sinansan Line collapse accident in April, Gyeonggi Province announced a 'Special Safety Measure for Underground Construction Sites and Land Subsidence.'

First, last month, Gyeonggi Province institutionalized the 'Gyeonggi Underground Safety Guardians' through the amendment of the 'Ordinance on the Management and Maintenance of Underground Safety in Gyeonggi Province.' The Underground Safety Guardians are a group of 42 experts in fields such as soil, geology, and structure, who provide on-site consultations in teams of two at sites subject to underground safety evaluation (excavations deeper than 10 meters), including checking compliance with safety management plans. As their first activity, the Underground Safety Guardians conducted joint inspections with cities and counties at 44 large excavation sites in the province from May 20 to June 5.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province secured 1.08 billion won in national funding to support ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys by cities and counties. This funding, allocated through the first supplementary budget, will be distributed to 16 cities and counties as service fees for investigations aimed at preventing ground subsidence.

Gyeonggi Province will also strengthen safety inspections and management measures for railway construction sites. For metropolitan railway construction projects promoted by the province, such as the Okjeong-Pocheon Line (Line 7 extension), the scope of drilling surveys and underground geophysical exploration will be expanded to proactively predict accidents, and safety personnel will be stationed on the ground at all times.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

To prevent ground subsidence caused by aging water supply and sewage pipelines, Gyeonggi Province will also carry out detailed inspections and improvement projects for old pipelines.

At the Sinansan Line construction site, CCTV inspections were conducted in May on the sewer pipeline installation sections around sections 1 and 2. Joint inspections with cities and counties were also carried out at 94 major public water and sewage facilities under construction and 48 areas designated for improvement of natural disaster risks. Gyeonggi Province continuously requested national funding support for old pipeline maintenance projects and secured an additional 18 billion won.

In addition, to raise public awareness of safety issues such as land subsidence, Gyeonggi Province will conduct safety education for residents at different life stages and special lectures at community centers in cooperation with cities and counties, as well as promote monitoring activities, campaigns, and publicity through related organizations and groups.

Kim Sungjoong, Gyeonggi Province's First Vice Governor for Administration, said, "Ground subsidence and similar issues are closely related to residents' daily lives and have a significant impact on life and property, so we must continuously implement safety measures. In particular, it is necessary to thoroughly check compliance with safety management regulations at underground construction sites and to prepare in advance and respond proactively to unexpected weather conditions, such as an earlier-than-usual monsoon or heavy rainfall, this year."