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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Seoul overpass demolition collapses, sparking political row

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • A demolition site in Seoul experienced a collapse during construction, resulting in fatalities and injuries.
  • A candidate for Seoul mayor from the People Power Party boasted about his district's safety record, drawing criticism.
  • The opposing Democratic Party candidate instructed his campaign to prioritize rescue efforts and avoid political attacks related to the incident.

A demolition site for the Seosomun Overpass in Seoul experienced a collapse during construction on May 26, resulting in casualties and injuries. The incident immediately became a point of political contention amidst the ongoing local elections.

I want to boast that in our Mapo District, not a single major safety accident has occurred in the past four years.

· Park Kang-sooPeople Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, during a campaign rally.

Park Kang-soo, a candidate for Seoul mayor from the People Power Party and the incumbent mayor of Mapo District, drew criticism for his remarks during a campaign rally. While acknowledging the collapse and the reported injuries, he stated, "I want to boast that in our Mapo District, not a single major safety accident has occurred in the past four years." He added, "Safety is the most important thing, and we must always be careful in Mapo as well."

In contrast, Chae Hyun-il, a Democratic Party lawmaker and the campaign's overall situation room chief for Seoul mayoral candidate Jeong Won-oh, posted on Facebook, "A predictable disaster born from Mayor Oh Se-hoon's disregard for safety." He criticized the city administration for prioritizing "showmanship and temporary fixes" over citizen safety. This post was later removed.

Safety is the most important thing, and we must always be careful in Mapo as well.

· Park Kang-sooPeople Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, commenting on safety.

Jeong Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, issued an urgent directive to his campaign team stating, "The priority is the rescue of victims and accident response at the Seosomun Overpass demolition site. All campaign activities linking to the incident or slandering opponents are prohibited."

A predictable disaster born from Mayor Oh Se-hoon's disregard for safety.

· Chae Hyun-ilDemocratic Party lawmaker, criticizing the city administration after the collapse.

The collapse occurred around 2:33 PM when the Seosomun Overpass, which had been classified as a Grade D structure due to aging and was undergoing demolition, gave way. The falling debris covered the ground-level road, resulting in at least two fatalities as of 4:00 PM, with rescue operations ongoing. The incident has highlighted concerns about infrastructure safety and the politicization of accidents during election campaigns.

The priority is the rescue of victims and accident response at the Seosomun Overpass demolition site. All campaign activities linking to the incident or slandering opponents are prohibited.

· Jeong Won-ohDemocratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, instructing his campaign team.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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