Geoje apartment slope collapse occurred outside government safety oversight

An artificial slope that collapsed in Geoje, South Korea, killing one resident, had been left outside the safety management systems of three government agencies. The incident occurred on an artificially created slope, not a natural mountainside, and was thus classified as 'slope erosion' rather than a landslide.

South Korea's current laws divide the management of slopes created by cutting hillsides between the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Act on the Prevention of Disasters in Steep Slopes and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Special Act on Safety Control of Facilities and Maintenance. The Korea Forest Service stated that artificial slopes are not subject to the Forest Disaster Prevention Act. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety admitted it had not determined if the slope in question qualified as a 'steep slope' under its law.

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We cannot clearly determine whether the artificial slope is a steep slope or a facility under the Special Act on Safety Control of Facilities and Maintenance without on-site surveying and investigation.

Officials cited that the apartment complex was built before the 2008 enforcement of the steep slope law and that the area was private property, restricting access. The apartment's retaining wall was classified as a Type 2 facility under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's management, with its safety inspection results from a year prior showing a Grade B rating. However, the artificial slope itself was not recorded.

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In systems currently divided by ministry, it is difficult to prevent disasters. Management should be elevated under the jurisdiction of the President or the Prime Minister.

Under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's law, artificial slopes must be at least 30 meters high and 100 meters long to be managed as facilities. Slopes classified as facilities are excluded from steep slope management. The Korea Forest Service noted that while parts of the mountain adjacent to the artificial slope were designated as high-risk landslide areas, the artificial slope itself could not be dually designated as it fell under other ministries' laws.

Experts criticized the fragmented system, with one former Seoul Metropolitan University professor suggesting that disaster management should be elevated to the presidential or prime ministerial level due to the overlapping jurisdictions. The Presidential Office acknowledged that the slope was not registered in the Forest Service's digital landslide information system and ordered relevant ministries to promptly register such areas to prevent casualties from natural disasters.

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Some high-risk areas, including the slope where this accident occurred, were not registered in the Forest Service's digital landslide information system. Relevant ministries must promptly register slope information under their jurisdiction so that unavoidable natural disasters do not lead to casualties.