Joint On-Site Inspection of Gwangju Apartment Collapse Accident... Focus on Proving Negligence

Sample Collection from Collapsed Building by NFS and Related Agencies

Plan to Investigate Concrete Curing Defects and Material Issues

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] With all six victims of the Hwajeong I-Park collapse accident in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City recovered, the police investigation has gained momentum.

On the 9th, according to the investigation headquarters for the newly constructed apartment collapse accident in Seo-gu, Gwangju (Gwangju Police Agency), related organizations such as the National Forensic Service, Ministry of Employment and Labor, National Disaster Research Institute, and Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency are conducting a joint on-site inspection.

For the first time, they entered Building 201 of the collapsed structure, which was difficult to access due to firefighting search operations, and collected 68 concrete samples from the 23rd to 39th floors.

They aim to identify the cause of the accident through scientific analysis and clarify the responsibility of 11 individuals who have been booked, including six officials from Hyunsan, two subcontractor officials, and three supervisors.

If results regarding poor concrete curing or material issues come out, the investigation is expected to enter a new phase.

Curing refers to maintaining adequate moisture until the concrete fully hardens and protecting it from shocks or freezing.

According to the pouring logs, concrete was poured on the 35th floor on December 3 last year, the 36th floor on December 10, and the 37th floor on December 16. In other words, the curing period was only 6 to 7 days.

Experts note that during winter, concrete itself can freeze, so a curing period longer than a week is generally necessary.

The sample collection conducted once before was done on another building where concrete pouring occurred around the same time, not on the collapsed building, making this on-site inspection particularly significant.

A second inspection will be conducted on the 10th.

Regarding the 'shoring removal' pointed out as the cause of the collapse, it is predicted that securing objective evidence to gauge the conflicting testimonies between the primary and subcontractors blaming each other will take more time.

It is reported that various methods such as confrontation investigations or lie detector tests are being considered to determine 'whose statement is true.'

The investigation headquarters explained that regarding the local district office’s permits and allegations of dereliction of duty, "It is easy to find what is left in the seized documents, but investigating the underlying matters is not an easy task."

So far, 60 related persons including Hyunsan officials and supervisors, as well as witnesses, have been questioned, and from the end of this month, detention procedures will also proceed.

An official from the investigation headquarters promised, "We will concentrate all investigative capabilities to clearly identify the cause of the collapse and those responsible for the accident, and we are determined to ensure that no one escapes appropriate punishment."

Meanwhile, the accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th at the apartment construction site when the exterior walls of the 23rd to 38th floors of Building 201 collapsed, killing six workers who were performing window installation work on the 28th to 34th floors.

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