On the Day the 'Gwangju Hakdong Collapse Prevention Act' Passed the National Assembly, Another Major Accident Occurred in Gwangju

Building Exterior Wall Collapse at Seo-gu Hwajeong-dong I-Park New Construction Site Around 4 PM

Hyundai Development Company, Contractor for Redevelopment Area Related to Hakdong Disaster, Faces Intense Criticism

On the afternoon of the 11th, the exterior wall of an apartment under construction collapsed in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. Photo by Jin-Hyung Park

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the day the bill to prevent recurrence related to last year's collapse accident of a demolition building in Hakdong, Gwangju Metropolitan City was passed by the National Assembly, a major accident occurred again in Gwangju where the exterior wall of a building at an apartment construction site collapsed.

This apartment construction is also being undertaken by HDC Hyundai Development Company, so the aftermath is expected to be significant.

According to local political circles on the 11th, the 'Partial Amendment to the Building Management Act' was passed at the plenary session of the National Assembly that day. The bill was proposed to prevent recurrence of accidents like the collapse accident of a demolition building in the Hakdong redevelopment area in Gwangju last year, which caused 17 casualties.

However, coincidentally on the same day, an accident occurred at the Hyundai I-Park new construction site in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, which is being constructed by Hyundai Development Company, where the exterior wall of one building’s upper floors from the 22nd to the 34th floor collapsed.

At the time, concrete pouring work was underway, and about 10 vehicles parked nearby were buried under the debris. So far, three people have evacuated on their own, and three others were injured and rescued. The injured are reported to have relatively minor injuries.

Currently, the fire department and police are checking for additional casualties, and due to concerns about further collapse, a safety inspection is being conducted.

The Hwajeong-dong I-Park new construction project was contracted in 2019 by Hyundai Development Company from its affiliate HDC I&Con. It is being built as a residential-commercial complex with 7 buildings, ranging from 4 basement floors to 39 floors above ground, comprising 705 apartment units and 142 officetel units, totaling 847 units.

As the apartment being built by Hyundai Development Company, responsible for the building collapse accident in the Hakdong redevelopment area last June that caused 17 casualties, has experienced another accident after 7 months, public criticism is mounting.

A citizen, Mr. Jung (45), said, "I was surprised that the apartment built by Hyundai Development Company, the contractor responsible for the Hakdong collapse accident, collapsed again," adding, "They say they are conducting large-scale safety inspections at major construction sites, but I doubt if it is just inspections in words."

In the construction industry, voices are emerging that since the exterior wall has completely collapsed, demolition and reconstruction are necessary, and the scheduled move-in date in November is expected to be further delayed.

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