Won Hee-ryong: "Accident Situation Confirmed to the Second... Fully Disclosed Without Concealment"

Minister Won Hee-ryong is presiding over a meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 29th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated on the 29th, "We will verify the situation at the time of the accident down to the second and disclose the cause of the accident without concealment."

On the previous day, Minister Won presided over an emergency meeting at the Anyang-Seongnam Expressway situation control room with central accident response headquarters officials, including Shin Gye-yong, Mayor of Gwacheon, Lee Jong-seo, Chief of Gwacheon Police Station, and Eom Beom-yong, CEO of the 2nd Gyeongin Connection Expressway, to discuss accident response status and identify the cause of the accident.

At the meeting, Minister Won said, "The tunnel fire accident is a serious matter that all citizens are anxious about," and instructed, "We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident by verifying the situation at the time of the accident down to the second and inform the public without concealment."

Additionally, he received a report on the Audit Board's opinion from last February regarding the vulnerability of the soundproof tunnel material, which the media pointed out as a cause of the damage expansion, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's follow-up measures, and instructed to promptly prepare countermeasures.

The Audit Board noted that if the soundproof panels of the soundproof tunnel are made of combustible materials, they may be vulnerable to flames, and if the structure is heated, the soundproof panels may detach, indicating the need to strengthen fire safety standards in the future.

Minister Won also said, "During the on-site recovery period, promptly prepare detour plans to avoid inconvenience to public movement, and form an emergency inspection team to thoroughly check all safety-related matters such as collapse risks and fire vulnerabilities of soundproof tunnels and bridges nationwide."

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