POSCO E&C Criticized by Gwangmyeong City Amid Mounting Challenges

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Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province has announced that it will take the strongest possible measures, including a damages lawsuit, against POSCO E&C regarding the collapse accident on the Shin Ansan Line.

On the 17th, Mayor Park Seungwon held a press conference and stated, "In relation to the collapse accident at the Shin Ansan Line construction site, for which POSCO E&C is the contractor, we will demand reconstruction and hold the company legally accountable." Mayor Park emphasized that simple repairs and reinforcement cannot guarantee structural safety, and demanded the complete reconstruction of the passage box (a rectangular tunnel-like structure installed beneath the road) and the culvert (an underground pipe-shaped drainage facility to remove standing water from the road). He made it clear that if these demands are not met, the city will respond comprehensively, including civil, criminal, and administrative actions.

Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 17th that it will take strong measures, including filing a damages lawsuit against POSCO E&C, stating that repeated serious safety accidents and environmental pollution have threatened the lives and safety of its citizens. Photo by Yonhap News.

The collapse accident at the Shin Ansan Line construction site occurred on April 11, when the site and a nearby road in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong City, collapsed during the construction of ventilation shafts for Section 5-2 of the line. One worker died as a result of the accident. According to the city, since the use of the passage box on the nearby Ori-ro was suspended, residents have experienced prolonged inconvenience due to restricted road access and rerouted bus operations.

The city also stated that, even after eight months since the accident, compensation for residents and merchants in the nearby Guseokmal area has not yet been completed. Mayor Park said, "Corporations speak in terms of legal standards, but residents are suffering based on the standards of their daily lives," urging that compensation be completed before the Lunar New Year holiday next year. He further remarked that the series of accidents at POSCO E&C construction sites is "not a coincidence, but a structural problem," and stressed, "We will use this incident as an opportunity to set Korea's construction safety system right."

In addition, the city recently confirmed that POSCO E&C had discharged untreated contaminated water without authorization and installed and operated unregistered wastewater discharge facilities. The company was reported for violating the Water Environment Conservation Act.

Last August, residents held placards and shouted slogans at a meeting to resolve odor issues held at the Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) facility for combustible waste within the Yanggadong Regional Sanitary Landfill in Nam-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News.

With Gwangmyeong City taking a hardline stance, POSCO E&C is expected to face greater difficulties in participating in future public projects. An official from a construction company commented, "Even if a construction company partially wins a lawsuit, it will inevitably face a critical disadvantage in securing future public sector projects."

Regarding this, a POSCO E&C representative stated, "We have no intention of avoiding responsibility for the accident and are sincerely cooperating with the ongoing investigation and recovery process." The representative added, "In the case of the Shin Ansan Line accident, there are still preliminary procedures remaining, such as investigations and safety assessments by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, so it is practically difficult to definitively determine the scope of reconstruction or damages at this stage. Given the nature of public projects, cooperation with the local government is more important than anything else, so we will seek solutions to prevent the conflict from dragging on."