AIC Formed Seven Days After Accident, Findings Released After Eight Months
"Excessively Delayed Response Compared to Past Cases"
"Government Reduced to Defendant, Concerns Over Exemption of Private Operators"
Calls for Victims and Local Residents to Join New Investigation Committee
In response to the major sinkhole accident that occurred in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, a civic group has strongly criticized the findings of the Accident Investigation Committee (AIC), calling for the committee to be restructured and for victims to participate in the investigation process.
The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) issued a statement on December 5, stating, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport took as long as seven days after the accident to form the AIC, and the investigation into the cause of the accident was also inadequate." The group insisted, "Even now, the government must restructure the AIC and ensure that residents of the affected area and citizens can directly participate in the investigation process."
On March 24, a massive sinkhole with a diameter and depth of 20 meters occurred in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, resulting in the death of one citizen. In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport established the Central Underground Accident Investigation Committee seven days after the accident, on March 31, and only released the investigation results eight months later, on December 3. CCEJ pointed out, "Compared to past cases where the AIC was typically formed within two to three days after an accident, this response was excessively delayed."
The AIC announced that the cause of the accident was "a deep discontinuity that was not recognized during the design and construction stages, which was weakened by a drop in groundwater levels and a sewage pipe leak, leading to the collapse." However, CCEJ criticized this conclusion, stating, "This investigation shifted responsibility to groundwater and sewage pipes, while ignoring the poor design and construction."
CCEJ argued, "Without faulty design, excessive groundwater leakage during construction would not have been possible," and added, "If tunnel construction had not taken place, the sinkhole itself would not have occurred, so responsibility for design and construction should be central."
The group stated, "We cannot shake off the suspicion that the AIC has given a free pass to the conglomerate construction company," and stressed, "A complete reinvestigation and restructuring of the AIC is absolutely necessary." They further emphasized, "The newly formed investigation committee must include victims and local residents as members to ensure the credibility and transparency of the investigation results."
CCEJ also pointed out that in the case of the tunnel collapse in the Bujeon-Masan private investment project in 2020, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport did not even form an AIC and left the accident investigation to the private project operator. "As a result, the government became the defendant in lawsuits, while the private operator was effectively exempt from responsibility," the group stated.
CCEJ also mentioned that this year alone, there have been a series of major construction accidents, including the collapse of the Shinansan Line (April) and the Seoul-Sejong Expressway (February). The group insisted, "It must be legally mandated to form an AIC and initiate an investigation process immediately after an accident occurs, and information such as committee member details, meeting minutes, and budget execution records must be transparently disclosed."
Finally, the group stated, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's repeated delays and lukewarm responses only heighten public anxiety," and emphasized, "Since President Lee Jaemyung has made public safety the top priority of state affairs, the President himself must step forward to ensure a thorough investigation of the causes and to establish measures to prevent recurrence."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
