Ministry of Land Starts Investigation into Cause of 'Gwangju Collapse Accident'... Noh Hyung-wook: "Strict Punishment with No Tolerance"

Construction Accident Investigation Committee Formed with Professor Kim Gyu-yong as Chair
Investigating Causes and Establishing Recurrence Prevention Measures Over Two Months

Collapse accident site at the Hyundai I-Park apartment new construction site in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, around 4 p.m. on the 11th
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has launched a 'Construction Accident Investigation Committee' in response to the structural collapse accident at the newly built Hyundai I-Park apartment in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, and has begun a full-scale investigation into the cause.

The Ministry announced on the 12th that it will form and operate the Construction Accident Investigation Committee to clearly identify the cause of the accident and prepare measures to prevent similar accidents from recurring.

The Construction Accident Investigation Committee can be operated by the Ministry, the ordering agency, or local governments to investigate the circumstances of accidents when a serious construction accident occurs involving three or more deaths, ten or more injuries, or when reconstruction is required due to facility collapse or overturning.

The committee is composed of a total of 10 members, including Professor Kim Gyu-yong of Chungnam National University as chairman, four architectural construction experts, four architectural structure experts, and one legal expert. It is scheduled to operate for two months from today until March 12.

Starting immediately with a kickoff meeting at 2 p.m. today, the committee began performing independent duties. Each member plans to analyze the comprehensive causes of the accident through on-site investigations, review of design documents and related materials, and assessment of the appropriateness of design and construction, as well as prepare measures to prevent recurrence.

A Ministry official stated, "We will identify the clear cause of the accident through a comprehensive investigation, including technical reviews such as compliance with regulations and the appropriateness of on-site safety management," and added, "Once the investigation is complete, all processes and results of the accident investigation will be transparently disclosed."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Noh Hyung-wook visited the site on the same day and expressed his position, saying, "We plan to thoroughly identify the cause of the accident and strictly punish any illegal acts such as negligence in management responsibility under a zero-tolerance policy."

Minister Noh emphasized, "Following the tragic loss of nine innocent citizens due to a building collapse during demolition work in Dong-gu, Gwangju, last June, and the recent building collapse accident here in Gwangju yesterday, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility," and added, "We will carefully review construction safety overall and promptly improve any deficiencies."

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