Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Conducts 'Emergency Safety Inspections' at Over 45,000 Construction Sites Nationwide

On the 13th, rescue workers and search dogs are conducting search operations at the site of the newly built apartment collapse accident in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 14th that it held the first Construction Accident Response Headquarters meeting to decide on conducting urgent safety inspections at construction sites nationwide, following the collapse accident at Hyundai I'Park in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, which occurred on the 11th.

The Ministry regularly inspects about 15,000 sites annually through the Regional Land Management Offices and the Korea Infrastructure Safety & Technology Corporation, but in light of this accident, it plans to intensify safety inspections in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, public institutions, and local governments.

Currently, there are 45,729 construction sites with a construction cost exceeding 100 million KRW in progress, of which 20,245 are public sites and 25,484 are private sites.

The Ministry has requested that by the 21st, each ordering agency, including local governments and public institutions, conduct safety inspections at 4,309 public sites under the Ministry’s jurisdiction, such as roads, railways, airports, subways, and various housing construction sites.

For the 25,484 private sites, the construction companies and supervisors at each site are to conduct self-inspections by the 21st, after which the permitting authorities will be able to carry out inspections starting from the 24th.

In particular, for 1,105 public and private high-rise building sites presumed to be carrying out similar construction processes to the accident site, the Ministry will manage inspection performance and promote direct inspections by the Regional Land Management Offices starting from the 24th.

The Construction Accident Response Headquarters will also actively support search efforts for missing persons at the accident site and structural safety measures such as reinforcing remaining walls and dismantling tower cranes to prevent further damage.

The Ministry explained, "Regarding the current accident response, the Ministry’s Technical Safety Policy Officer and officials from the Korea Infrastructure Safety & Technology Corporation are actively consulting with related agencies on technical matters such as securing the safety of the remaining structures."

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