"Comprehensive Negligence" Gwangju Collapse Accident Ultimately a 'Human Disaster'

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Investigation Committee: "Hyundai Construction's Structural Stability, Construction Quality, and Management Are Entirely Deficient"
Up to 1 Year 8 Months Business Suspension and Construction Registration Cancellation Inevitable Administrative Actions

The scene of the collapse accident at Hwajeong IPARK mixed-use complex new construction in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, which occurred on January 11.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] The collapse accident that occurred at an apartment construction site in Gwangju last January has been concluded to be a “man-made disaster” caused by comprehensive negligence in structural safety, construction quality, and construction management. The construction company, HDC Hyundai Development Company (Hyundai Development), is expected to face severe administrative sanctions, including a business suspension of up to 1 year and 8 months and even possible cancellation of its construction business registration.

According to the investigation results announced on the 14th by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Construction Accident Investigation Committee (hereafter referred to as the Investigation Committee) regarding the Hyundai Development apartment collapse accident, the main cause of the collapse accident at Hwajeong IPARK mixed-use complex construction site in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City on January 11 was identified as “unauthorized structural modification.” Additionally, overall negligence such as poor concrete quality control and supervision also contributed to the collapse.

The Investigation Committee confirmed that the construction method and support system of the 39th floor slab, where the collapse began, were arbitrarily changed from the original design. As a result, the floor construction changed from a conventional slab to a deck slab, and the support method changed from temporary supports (dongbari) to concrete shear walls. In particular, the installation of concrete shear walls on the PIT floor (a separate floor between the 39th rooftop floor and the 38th floor for piping installation) caused the floor slab’s applied load to increase to more than twice the design load, with the load concentrating in the central area. However, the premature removal of the temporary supports under the PIT floor caused the floor slab to bear the load alone, triggering the initial collapse, which then led to a progressive collapse downward through the building.

Furthermore, the concrete strength used at the construction site did not meet the standard criteria. Out of 17 floors tested, 15 floors fell short of 85% of the design strength standard. The insufficient concrete strength caused reduced adhesion with the rebar, resulting in decreased safety.

Construction management and supervision functions were also inadequate. The construction supervision did not comply with Article 91, Paragraph 3 of the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, which requires cooperation with related technical experts during supervision. The supervisor used an inspection checklist different from the “Inspection Standards by Construction Field” submitted to the client, failing to verify the structural safety of the “concrete shear walls,” which were identified as a cause of the accident. Based on these findings, the Investigation Committee proposed preventive measures including ▲strengthening system compliance ▲improving on-site supervision systems ▲enhancing material and quality management ▲and reforming subcontracting systems.

Meanwhile, the accident caused damage and collapse to the exterior walls of more than 16 floors, resulting in 6 workers dying and 1 injured during the work. Previously, in June last year, 17 casualties occurred when a building collapsed at the demolition site of the Hakdong redevelopment project in Dong-gu, Gwangju, also constructed by HDC Hyundai Development.

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