Gwangju Hakdong 4 District, Demolition Work Resumes After 1 Year and 5 Months

HDC Hyundai Development Company "Proceeding with Safety as Top Priority"

Bird's-eye view of Hakdong 4 District Redevelopment Project Site

Demolition work for the redevelopment of Hakdong 4 District in Gwangju Metropolitan City, which was fully suspended due to a collapse accident that caused 17 casualties, will resume after 1 year and 5 months.

On the 7th, HDC Hyundai Development Company announced, "The demolition work for the Hakdong 4 District housing redevelopment maintenance project resumed on the 7th." With the resumption of demolition work that had been halted for 1 year and 5 months, the Hakdong 4 District housing redevelopment maintenance project is expected to complete demolition and begin main construction by the first half of next year.

HDC Hyundai Development Company emphasized, "Above all, we plan to carry out the demolition work with safety as the top priority." To ensure safety, the demolition method has been changed. For buildings taller than 10 meters, the previous method of dismantling the upper floors directly from the ground using a long boom arm has been replaced by a method where demolition equipment is lifted onto the building by crane and dismantled one floor at a time. This demolition method allows for safe dismantling of each floor and minimizes debris falling or scattering around during work. The lower floors will be dismantled using conventional excavators as before.

Additionally, to provide a safer environment for workers and reduce inconvenience to nearby residents, system scaffolding and soundproof panels will be applied to buildings adjacent to roads or external areas or those with high floor heights.

Overall safety measures for the construction have also been strengthened. When dismantling buildings adjacent to roads, additional signalers and safety personnel will be deployed. Furthermore, plans include enhanced safety awareness training, daily equipment inspections conducted jointly by supervisors and equipment operators, and other strengthened measures.

The Gwangju Hakdong 4 District redevelopment project is underway at Hakdong 633-3 area, consisting of 3 basement floors, 29 above-ground floors, 19 buildings, and 2,314 households, aiming to start main construction in the first half of next year. The main construction is expected to take 37 months after commencement. HDC Hyundai Development Company has been in continuous consultation with the association to resume construction. At the extraordinary general meeting held in June, nearly 90% of the association members reaffirmed their trust.

Meanwhile, the Hakdong collapse accident occurred on June 9 last year at around 4:22 p.m. at the bus stop in the Hakdong 4 District redevelopment site.

A five-story building under demolition completely collapsed, burying a city bus stopped at the bus stop in front. Nine passengers died, and eight others, including other passengers and the driver, were injured.

The first trial court found all those responsible for the accident guilty, sentencing subcontractors and sub-subcontractors involved in the demolition to prison terms ranging from 2 years and 6 months to 3 years and 6 months, while three officials from Hyundai Development Company received suspended sentences.

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