Families of Missing Persons in Gwangju Collapse Accident "Government-Led Special Team Must Be Formed to Resolve the Situation"

"Concerns Over Secondary Collapse Damage Due to Delay in Tower Crane Dismantling Work"

Collapse Site of Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] Families of the missing in the collapse accident at the Hyundai Development Company apartment construction site in Hwajeong-dong, Gwangju, expressed frustration over the delay in rescue operations. They raised their voices, urging the formation of a government-led special task force to speed up the search for the missing.

On the 19th, An, a representative of the missing families, met with reporters at the accident site and said, "I understand that the rescue process is difficult, but it seems that Hyundai Development Company, Gwangju City Hall, and Gwangju Seo-gu Office are delaying the rescue by dragging out time and using the families of the missing as a shield to avoid responsibility."

Representative An added, "I heard from victims of nearby closed stores due to the collapse and prospective residents of Hwajeong I-Park that when they requested countermeasures from Gwangju Seo-gu Office, they were told not to raise their voices loudly because there are families of the missing. Does this make sense? We are all victims, so why are they betraying us?" expressing anger.

He also criticized the delay in dismantling the tower crane.

An said, "They say the crane will be dismantled tomorrow, but no evacuation order has been issued. As far as I know, only a few buses have been removed from the terminal, and there are no other measures. What are we supposed to do if a secondary collapse occurs?"

He continued, "The rescue work starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. They only work during business hours," expressing his frustration.

Moreover, he said, "Even though the Minister of the Interior and Safety, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Minister of Employment and Labor have visited, nothing has changed," adding, "Hyundai Development Company should take the initiative to resolve this, but I watched for 24 hours yesterday and nothing has progressed."

He urged, "This is the fault of Seo-gu Office, Gwangju City Hall, and Hyundai Development Company," and called for "the government to form a special team to practically resolve this situation."

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