Search for Missing Persons Hampered in Gwangju New Apartment Collapse... Nightmare of Last Year's Hakdong Disaster

Contact Lost for Second Day in Accident, 6 People Still Missing... Crane Must Be Dismantled for Full-Scale Search

Construction Experts Analyze 'Poor Workmanship' as Cause... Concrete Not Fully Cured, Unable to Bear Load

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the 12th, the second day after the collapse accident at the Hwajeong I-Park building under construction in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, the whereabouts of the six missing persons have not been found.

Civilians are angry, pointing out problems with Hyundai Development Company, the same construction company, as the nightmare of last year's collapse of a demolition building in the Hakdong redevelopment area resurfaces.

At around 3:47 p.m. on the 11th, the outer wall of the 201 building from the 23rd to the 38th floor collapsed at the Hwajeong I-Park new construction site in Seo-gu, Gwangju.

One person was slightly injured in the accident and was transported to the hospital, and two people trapped in a container temporary building were rescued by the dispatched fire department.

However, since six workers could not be contacted, a search operation was attempted but was suspended around 7 p.m. due to the risk of further collapse. After a safety inspection, the search resumed at around 11:30 a.m. the next day.

Even then, due to the risk of collapse outside, the rescue team could not be directly deployed, and only confirmation using drones and thermal cameras was possible.

Inside, according to the safety inspection results that partial search was possible, six search dogs and handlers were deployed. During this process, the search dogs showed abnormal behavior such as circling the area, prompting a detailed search, but ultimately the six missing persons were not found.

Eventually, the search authorities judged that there was a risk of additional collapse and stopped the search at around 6:40 p.m. that day.

Authorities currently report that the tower crane is tilted about 20 degrees, posing a risk of further collapse.

The tilted crane must be safely dismantled before rescue workers can be deployed into the building for a full-scale search.

The dismantling will be partial, not total, with plans to dismantle only parts such as the boom, operator's cabin, and upper mast to structurally maintain the retaining wall safely.

However, to dismantle the crane, another crane required for dismantling must be brought in, and assembling it is expected to take two days.

Therefore, searches like those conducted on this day will continue, but experts believe that full-scale searches with rescue teams deployed will not be possible until at the earliest the 17th.

This accident occurred when the outer wall collapsed from the 38th to the 23rd floor during concrete pouring.

Experts have analyzed that poor construction is the cause.

In winter, concrete does not dry well, so a curing process that allows sufficient time to harden must be done, but it is analyzed that the lower floors could not support the weight of the formwork for concrete pouring while it was not fully dried.

There are witnesses who said the work was forced regardless of rain or snow. Since the move-in is scheduled for November, it seems to be to meet the completion date, but experts say that considering the construction progress and remaining time, it is not so tight as to require such reckless progress.

Civilians are also angry because Hyundai Development Company, the construction company of Hwajeong I-Park, was the construction company responsible for the Gwangju Hakdong collapse disaster last year that caused 17 casualties on June 17.

The Hakdong Disaster Countermeasures Committee issued a statement that day, raising their voices to "expel Hyundai Development Company from Gwangju."

They claimed, "Before the pain of the Hakdong disaster has even faded, an unbelievable accident occurred again in Gwangju where the outer wall of an apartment under construction collapsed," adding, "It is also an apartment construction site being built by Hyundai Development Company, the main culprit of the Hakdong disaster."

They continued, "Measures to fundamentally block the corrupt structure of redevelopment projects, which are the root cause of the accident, are also delayed," emphasizing, "While hesitating to consider the interests of construction capital, another tragic incident has repeated."

After this accident occurred, Hyundai Development Company's response also fueled the anger.

Hyun Byung-gyu, CEO of Hyundai Development Company, visited the site that day but only issued a one-page apology letter and left.

Regarding this, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop criticized on Facebook, "Hyundai Development Company is a truly bad company," and ordered the suspension of all construction projects Hyundai Development Company is conducting in Gwangju.

In the political sphere, there was a unanimous voice that the construction company responsible for the construction must be held strictly accountable.

The Gwangju branches of the Democratic Party of Korea, People Power Party, and Justice Party issued a statement that day, saying, "Hyundai Development Company, which only apologizes and denies responsibility, must bear appropriate responsibility."

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