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🇰🇷 South Korea /Disasters & Emergencies

Seoul bridge collapse narrowly avoids disaster; city's safety negligence under fire

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A bridge in Seoul collapsed on March 26, narrowly avoiding a major disaster as 59 trains carrying passengers passed underneath in the 12 hours after initial signs of structural failure.
  • Seoul city officials received reports of the bridge's support beams sinking by 2.9 cm but failed to take safety measures, such as requesting train operation control.
  • This incident highlights Seoul's ongoing safety negligence, following a previous scandal involving missing rebar in the GTX Samsung Station project, prompting calls for thorough inspections and accountability.

A bridge collapse in Seoul on March 26 narrowly avoided a catastrophic disaster, as 59 trains carrying passengers traversed the tracks beneath the structure in the 12 hours following the initial signs of structural failure.

The Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation was only notified by phone at 7:30 AM.

— Hankyoreh reportDetailing the timeline of the city's awareness and response to the bridge's structural failure.

The incident occurred at the Seosomun overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The collapse began with the sinking of a concrete support beam (girder) around 2:30 AM. Despite being aware of the 2.9 cm subsidence, Seoul city officials reportedly failed to implement any safety measures, including requesting the suspension of train operations on the tracks below.

Reports indicate that between the initial discovery of the sinking beam and the collapse at 2:30 PM, numerous trains passed through the area. This included 28 high-speed KTX trains and 31 electric trains. A KTX train with 42 passengers passed just five minutes before the collapse, and a Mugunghwa train passed only 90 seconds prior.

The girder collapsed, and the scaffolding crumpled like paper.

— Hankyoreh reportDescribing the ineffectiveness of the safety measures in place during the collapse.

Officials were alerted to the sinking beam at 2:30 AM by construction workers. While additional preventative work was done, the Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation was only notified by phone at 7:30 AM. The city's response has been criticized as negligent, especially considering that safety measures like safety nets, deemed sufficient by the city to withstand falling concrete, were easily torn apart by the collapsing girder.

We cannot understand what further evidence was needed when construction was already halted due to beam subsidence.

— Hankyoreh editorialCriticizing the city's inaction and lack of urgency in requesting train operation control.

This incident echoes the scandal of missing rebar at the GTX Samsung Station, where Seoul city officials also deflected responsibility. The article criticizes Seoul's lack of safety awareness, transparency, and accountability, urging the next mayor to conduct thorough inspections and hold responsible parties accountable.

Seoul City's safety awareness has once again been confirmed to be lacking, following the GTX Samsung Station rebar omission incident.

— Hankyoreh editorialDrawing a parallel between the current bridge collapse and a previous infrastructure scandal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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