Won Hee-ryong Visits Gwangju Apartment Collapse Site, Urges Construction Company for "Sincere Negotiation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Won Heeryong, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee and Planning Committee Chair of the Presidential Transition Committee, visited the site of the I-Park collapse accident in Hwajeong-dong, Gwangju, Jeonnam on the 29th and urged the construction company officials to "engage in sincere negotiations."

On the morning of the same day, Won and other transition committee members visited the site of the apartment collapse accident in Gwangju to check the status of accident recovery and meet with the victims. This visit was made after President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol visited the accident site in February and promised to resolve the issue, subsequently requesting the transition committee to revisit.

Won listened once again to the opinions of the victims that day. He then demanded that the construction company officials "engage sincerely in negotiations so that merchants and pre-sale buyers can quickly recover from the shock of the accident." He also asked that if technical judgments are needed during the consultation process, the Korea Land and Housing Safety Management Institute, a specialized public institution, actively support the process.

He instructed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and related agencies including the Korea Land and Housing Safety Management Institute to "thoroughly inspect and manage the site to ensure proper safety management, as structural elements such as pillars and walls still remain at the accident site."

Regarding measures to strengthen construction safety, he emphasized the need for "fundamental countermeasures that depart from the existing approach," and particularly requested that the Korea Land and Housing Safety Management Institute be reborn as a genuine construction safety specialized institution.

The transition committee and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration decided to actively support smooth victim compensation negotiations and safe construction while monitoring the recovery situation of the Gwangju apartment collapse accident. The transition committee stated, "We will actively support the derivation of solutions acceptable to all and ensure that the demolition of dangerous structures and other construction proceed safely," adding, "We will fundamentally improve the construction industry's structure by blocking poor construction and strengthening safety at construction sites."

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