Core witnesses including the National Forensic Service to appear on the 15th in the trial of the 'Gwangju Hakdong Disaster'

On the afternoon of June 9, a building under demolition in Hakdong, Dong-gu, Gwangju collapsed, causing debris to spill onto the road and burying city buses. The photo shows 119 rescue workers conducting rescue operations at the accident site. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] In the trial of the 'Gwangju Hakdong Disaster,' officials from the National Forensic Service and other related parties who investigated the cause of the accident will appear as witnesses on the 15th.

The Criminal Division 11 of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Ji-seon) held a trial on the 1st for seven construction officials and three companies indicted on charges including professional negligence resulting in death or injury, and rescheduled the witness examination date.

The witness examination for the National Forensic Service and the Central Accident Investigation Team of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency was originally scheduled for the 6th but was postponed once due to difficulties in attendance.

The Central Building Accident Investigation Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will appear as a witness on the 6th as originally planned.

The defense plans to conduct cross-examinations regarding the cause of the accident.

During previous trials, the lawyer for Hyundai Development Company stated, "The expert report only derived the cause and result, but there was no verification of causality," adding, "It is necessary to review the basic (raw) data of the expert report and consider whether additional expert analysis is needed if there are issues."

The lawyer for Hansol Enterprise also said, "Cross-examination of the authors of the expert reports from the three institutions is necessary."

On that day in court, the witness examination of Kim (49), site manager of Dawon ENC, was also conducted. During questioning by the prosecution and Hyundai Development Company’s lawyers, he testified in a way that partly shifted responsibility for the accident by stating, "The representative of Baeksol company and the excavator operator recklessly demolished the structure clumsily."

Meanwhile, the defendants in this consolidated trial are Seo (57), site manager of the redevelopment contractor Hyundai Development Company; Kim (57), safety manager; Noh (53), public works manager; Kang (28), site manager of the general building demolition subcontractor Hansol; Jo (47), representative of Baeksol and excavator operator of the re-subcontractor; Kim (49), site manager of Dawon ENC, which handled asbestos demolition subcontracting; and Cha (59), supervisor at the demolition site.

They are charged with causing the collapse of a building (5 floors above ground, 1 basement level) in the Gwangju Hakdong 4 District on June 9 by ignoring the demolition plan and regulations or neglecting supervisory duties, resulting in casualties among 17 city bus passengers passing nearby (9 dead, 8 injured).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.