Geondan Accident GS Construction Sales Suspension for 10 Months… Won Hee-ryong "Fines Cannot Be Replaced"

Minister of Land's 8-Month Direct Order and Seoul City's Additional 2 Months
"No Possibility of Reduced Sanctions... Future LH Measures"

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that the total 10-month business suspension penalty imposed on GS Construction in relation to the collapse accident at the underground parking lot of the Geomdan Apartment in Incheon "cannot be replaced by fines or other measures."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong is presiding over the "Meeting on the Geomdan Apartment Accident and GS Construction Site Inspection Results" at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 27th. / Photo by Noh Kyung-jo

On the afternoon of the 27th, Minister Won said at the "Geomdan Apartment Accident and GS Construction Site Inspection Results Meeting" held at the Government Seoul Office, "According to relevant laws, the highest penalty applicable when there is no casualty has been imposed."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport decided to push for an 8-month business suspension by ministerial authority against the GS Construction consortium and subcontractors, the contractors of the accident site, due to poor construction. They also plan to request Seoul City to impose a 2-month business suspension for failing to conduct safety inspections diligently.

Additionally, the Ministry announced that the Mokyang Architectural Office consortium, the construction project manager, will be subject to a 6-month business suspension for causing property damage to the client due to intentional or gross negligence. Regarding omissions in construction, inspection, and testing of major structural elements, they plan to request Gyeonggi Province to impose a 2-month business suspension.

For the design firm, Yuseon Engineering Architectural Office consortium, Seoul City will cancel registration or impose a 2-year business suspension upon the Ministry’s request. The Seoul Regional Land Office Chief will impose a 1-year qualification suspension on related professional engineers, and investigations into violations of relevant laws by design, construction, and supervision firms will be referred to the police.

Penalties imposed by government and local authorities will not overlap in duration but will be applied cumulatively, and the final decision will be confirmed after review and hearing procedures by the Administrative Disciplinary Committee. Kim Gyu-cheol, Director of the Ministry’s Technical Safety Policy Division, said, "It will take about 3 to 5 months until the final decision."

He also firmly denied the possibility of penalty reduction. Minister Won explained, "Unlike the Gwangju Hwajeong-dong I-Park Apartment case, this cannot be replaced by fines, and although a reduction of about one month could be considered, it does not apply in this case."

Meanwhile, the Ministry confirmed that GS Construction’s self-inspections of 83 construction sites were appropriate. After the accident, GS Construction commissioned the Architectural Structure Technology Society to conduct safety inspections at 83 apartment construction sites nationwide. The Ministry and the Korea Land and Housing Safety Management Institute verified the appropriateness from June 19 to this month’s 18th.

The concrete strength tests (non-destructive testing using Schmidt hammer and compression strength tests through core sampling) met the standards, and the rebar inspections (non-destructive testing using rebar detectors) found no missing rebar.

However, some concrete strength deficiencies were found in the interior walls of the residential buildings of the Geomdan Apartment. The Architectural Institute of Korea, which diagnosed this, analyzed "poor compaction" during the construction process as the main cause. GS Construction has currently announced plans to completely reconstruct the Geomdan Apartment, including the residential buildings.

The Ministry also announced a forthcoming penalty against the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). Minister Won said, "Today, LH was excluded because it is not directly related to the detailed safety inspection, but it will receive the strictest penalties and corrective measures later," adding, "There will be sufficient consultations regarding compensation for prospective residents."

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